Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story
by lightfaith0606
Summary: Mari is an 11 year old girl who had a harsh past. When she stumbles into Whoville, she learns a boy had a similar past as her. His name's Jojo. They both want a friend, but will Jojo allow himself to bond with a HUMAN?
1. Chapter 1

Yah, my first JoJo story posted! ^.^  
I would like to give credit to **DarkMidnightStars** for inspiring me to post this. For that, I dedicate this to her, and a certain YouTuber.  
Okay, in the flasback, it talks about someone's life. Well... it's me... And it's true... That's how I was treated three years ago. Because of that, and the movie HHAW, this story was born.  
So... there was a good thing about that. Okay, well, R&R! 

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**Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story**

Chapter One

The chilly wind blew which caused my hair to dance and a very "slimy" chill to snake down my spine. Goosebumps appeared on my arm. My wrists were somewhat warm with the handcuffs that I wore. The rest of my body was covered by my pink shirt, blue jeans, pink headband, and white shoes. But not completely. I still had holes, scrapes, bruises, cuts, and tares in some areas from today's earlier accident. As you can guess, I was in complete pain. I slightly looked up from the balcony, and could see all the Whos in Town Square looking up fearfully. I knew I couldn't keep my identity a secret forever. Someone had to find out sooner or later. Chairman Vonfrood forcefully shoved me, and I kept on walking after a wince. After a couple more steps of walking, he pushed me down to kneel. When I did, I looked up to see a Who in a black robe and carrying an ax in his hands.

I gulped.

Then I began to remember how this all began…

…

I always hated my life. In school, a day wouldn't pass by if I wasn't tormented or picked on by other kids. My nickname was "the fat four-eyed freak". I'm sure you can guess why I was called that. People only wanted to be my friends to find something to use against me. And what did I do? Nothing. Why? Three reasons;

I thought it was a personal problem

I had no idea who to turn to

I didn't want anyone else to get involved.

So I kept my mouth shut.

It wasn't long before a teacher found out about my problem. It was my fifth grade teacher grade teacher named Mrs. Richardson. Mrs. Richardson was so much more than a teacher. She was a hero… _my_ hero.

…My second mother…

Mrs. Richardson noticed how sad I was because of all the kids. She talked to the kids sternly, and to me very softly. Mrs. Richardson wanted to know what was going on in my life. To my comfort/surprise, she was the first teacher to directly listen to my parents. My teachers from third and fourth grade, they had an administrator see me. I felt uncomfterable because I didn't like the fact I had to tell my problems to a stranger. But Mrs. Richardson was very thoughtful enough to let me tell **her**.

As I talked, she understood me because not only did she have kids of her own. She told me after my explanation she faced the same problem around my age. She admitted making friends is scary and can be a big risk, but it's sometimes worth it. I wanted to make friends… but hardly anyone liked me from the inside. Mrs. Richardson said that I could do something else during recess. I smiled, because she didn't pressure me to try harder like the administrators. She knew I'll be ready to make a friend when the time came. So during recess, I would write stores of whatever popped into my head alone by some benches.

…_Alone…_

When I would look up at times, I would see kids making faces at me, clicking their tongues, and so on. I'm not entirely sure myself how I did it, but I managed to ignore them, and go on with my time at recess. I let my teacher read my writing, and she insisted I had a gift. I felt touched, and it wasn't long before we found out how good I was in art and choir. None of the kids could write as intricately, imaginatively, or unique as I. I even won third place in a restaurant poetry contest at Bruno's Pizzeria, and it got published! (I didn't use their theme correctly, but they liked it anyways.) No other student in the _whole_ _elementary school_ went to an "Honor Choir" practice, and performed in a high school! And no other kid in my class could draw a realistic book cover, without tracing!

I felt so special; I thought my fifth grade year would be my best school year ever. Heck, even somewhat perfect!

…But I was wrong…

The one thing I never got to accomplish by the end of the school year was to have one true friend.

One night, after my parents yelled at me for no friggin' reason as always, I cried myself to sleep. In the middle of the night, I got up, changed, and went into my backyard sitting on a wooden stool. I watched dazzled by all the stars that glowed behind cirrus clouds. I noticed one that was extremely much brighter than the rest.

…_The Wishing Star…_

I though a lot of things I could wish for at once;

Bigger allowance

A DS

A new video game

A movie

But then, I knew what my wish was going to be. I clasped my hands together, closed my eyes, and whispered;

"_I wish for a true friend…"_

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And... that's the ending of Chapter One! Next chapter, we'll see how our little Jojo's doing. :)  
This was written down in a composition book, and is now 3 years old.  
So what did you think about it? My teacher liked it back then.  
Please tell me your honest opinion in your review!  
'Til then!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two! This is Jojo's story!  
Okay, the beginning is sad, but to all you fangirls; PLEASE DON'T COME AFTER ME!  
I love Jojo too with all my heart but I had to write something as cruel as that! Don't kill me!  
Also, thank you for those reviews! I never knew my story will get that many reviews! :') You guys are awesome!  
Sorry for such a short chapter btw! R&R!

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Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story

Chapter Two

_An outsider…_

_A misfit…_

_A wonderer…_

_A midget…_

_A loner…_

_A __**nobody**__…_

These are only a couple of nicknames I was given, because I was different. I have so much more, but if I were to write them down, it would be as long as an essay report. What makes me different from everybody else in Whoville, you ask? A lot… Mostly because of my appearance.

I'm (well, might as well be) one of the very rare Whos you'll see in dressed in black. I don't see what the big deal is! I just grew up liking that color, because it's special to me! Is that a problem? Also, I'm the smallest Who at the age of 13. People call me "midget", but it's only because my growth spurt hasn't kicked in yet! And my skin is paler than anyone else's. I don't know why I'm like that, but it's probably an old trait, right? I'm also "different", because I don't do things like other kids around my age would do. The kids would always play many games, and enjoy themselves from breakfast to dinner.

Me, I would just stay locked in my room and just work on blueprints. But I'm always interrupted by my dad. Ever since I could understand third grade vocabulary, my dad gave me lectures on being the next mayor in line. It sounded so… unlike me… I wasn't interested in any of that stuff. I would tell my dad about how I wanted to be an inventor, but… I didn't want to see his grins turn into frowns. He's so determined to change me, so I decided to keep my mouth shut.

To put all my negativeness behind me, I would sneak out at night and visit an old observatory I found when I was little. It was abandoned at the time, and I found a couple of unfinished projects. At first I worked on them for fun, but I became obsessed with it. I do this every night and for some reason, it comforts me. But it's not the right comfort I've been wanting. I want someone who's there for me. Someone who won't judge me for what's on the outside of me; who understands me.

I thought this over on top of the observatory. It was such a clear and beautiful night full of stars. It was really heart-warming. To my surprise, I saw a star quickly zoom by, and then disappear. A shooting star… When I saw it disappear, I saw a bright star. It was as if it led me to the Wishing Star. I stared at it for a long time, closed my eyes, and whispered;

"_I wish for a close friend…"  
_

Okay, attention please!  
New chapters of this story will be posted every Tuesday. _Every Tuesday!_ Mark your calendars!  
I'm working with two other stories, reading other stories, and I'm getting ready to go to school on September 8th.  
Will I be busy after that day? Maybe. I'll have to update you.  
Alright, stay tuned for chapter 3! That's where some magic will start! :D  
See ya Tuesday!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3, up and ready! :D  
Yeah, I know what you think; "It's _Monday_, and you said _Tuesday_ will be new chapters."  
Well yes, that's true. BUT...! I decided to post it earlier. The reasons;  
1. I watched "The Prince Of Persia", (it was awesome, Dastan's cute X3) and it reminded me of my story a little.  
2. I baked cookies today! :D Peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies to be exact! (Really good. I'm eating one right now)  
3. I'm in a good mood! I made a new friend! (well, I HOPE he thinks of me as one...)  
4. Reviews, reviews, reviews! The best i've ever gotten! You guys rock. COOKIES FOR YOU! *gives out cookies from today*  
And yes, for a little treat, I'll post the next chapter tommorrow. You're welcome! :)  
Well, R&R! Enjoy these updates! I start school in less than a week, and the updates might go away. :P Enjoy! 

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Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story

Chapter Three

I continued to look up hopefully at the Wishing Star. I didn't want to go back in just yet. Seeing a sky cloudy yet starry was a once in a life time chance for me. After a while, something came to my mind.

"_What did the rest of my backyard look like at this hour?"_

I got up and began to gracefully walk in my backyard. The gentle wind kissed my cheeks as I took my slowest pace into my backyard. Crickets sang in praise of the stars and the third quarter moon. I was fascinated to see how everything had a blue shade at night. Suddenly, I saw something unusual. There was a speck about the size of my fingernail resting on a dandelion. It was… _glowing_…

"A portal?" I asked myself.

The color around the speck were light bluish with faint shades of light pinks and lavender. These colors invited me to come close and touch it. It was so tempting, I just _had to_ put my finger on it. But I soon regretted it. The light spread towards my hand, then my arm, then my neck. In no time, I was bathed in this light all over my body. I looked up to see the trees towering over me.

Were they _growing_!

…Nuh-uh.

I looked at myself, and noticed I was _shrinking_!

I tried moving my finger from the speck, but it wouldn't budge. I finally came to the point where I stopped shrinking and began falling into the speck. All I could think of was yell until I land, or _die_.

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End of chapter! :D  
Hahaha, just kidding!  
False cliffhanger! Who fell for it?  
No one? Yeah, I know. Really lame of me.  
Continue below! We're about halfway there;

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Falling…

I was falling for what seemed as long as a decade…

…But it only has been ten seconds…

I couldn't bear to open my eyes, watching my life flash before my eyes.

…So I kept them shut…

All I could feel was the wind violently shaking my hair and my stomach dropping within each second. Curious to know how much longer until my life ended, I looked down. Clouds past me, slowly allowing me to see faint lights below me. I couldn't believe it…

"_Was this heaven!" _I thought. _"…No, of course not…I was falling __down__."_

Alas, I was able to see a large building below me. It had different colors of metal on the roof of the dome. As I dropped, I can see a small figure on the roof.

Was it… a person? Just in case…

"LOOK OUT!" I yelled at the figure.

Right before I could see the figure's face, I landed on him/her, and we began to fall through an opening on the roof. I hung onto the stranger as we fell. It was strange… His/her clothing felt a little fuzzy, but it was actually pretty soft. After a couple of seconds, we landed on a pile of scrap on our side.

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NOW we're done. :P Tommorrow, we'll see who the "stranger" is. (Although, you guys SHOULD know who it is...)  
Um... look forward to it! Review, and see you tomorrow!


	4. Chapter 4

Next chapter like I promised!  
Also, I've noticed people have been demanding for longer chapters. Well you're in luck! Next chapter will be pretty long! (Yah!)  
But that means you'll have to wait next week. (Aww...)  
This will be the last short chapter, I promise! Good thing too. After this chapter, fun stuff will happen. :)  
Well, enjoy and R&R!

**

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****Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story**

Chapter Four

I finally opened my eyes only to find myself buried in a pile of spare parts. I got up weakly as I felt ache in almost every part of my body. I stood up, looked around, and was amazed by the building I was in. Objects like violins, harps, bottles, kites, ramps, saws, ladders, bells, string, drums, and so much more things decorated the room. My eyes glistened as the lights around reflected the objects in the room.

"…_Wow…_" I managed to whisper.

I was so dazzled by all this; I didn't notice the person I fell on came out of the pile. His groaning was heard, causing me to turn around. To my surprise, it was a boy. The boy had long jet black hair that showered over his caramel eyes. His skin was pale, which caused his cherry nose and pinkish mouth to expose from his face. His cheeks were a bit rounder and had me realizing his face was different from a humans'. (It even looked like there was fur on his skin!) His clothes were a bit strange too. He had a long sleeved black and gray stripped shirt, with black pants and black elf looking shoes. It made me so curious about this person…

"_Why did he look familiar?"_

I finally snapped out of my trance, and went up to him. He was on his knees, rubbing his sore head. I went on my knees when I was close to him.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I…I didn't hurt you that much did I?" I asked.

The boy looked at me and with a gasp, he pushed me back. His force was enough for me to fall back on top of the scrap pile. This gave him time to scramble to his feet, and stayed a good three feet away from me. I looked at him confused as he took another defensive step back. I could hear him breathing heavily in fright. Slowly he calmed down, as he tilted his head slightly in thought. I did the same to him.

"…_Why does she look familiar?"_

I managed to get up, almost falling down again. The creature flinched when he saw me do this, but calmed down afterwards. I waved my hand a little.

"Hi."

He clinched, taking a small step back. I raised my brow, and took out my arm.

"I'm Mar-"

Before I could finish, he again took a small step back. I stood there like an idiot, my hand still out.

"I'm…"

I tried again, but something felt strange. My head began to felt heavy and slowly turned. The room began to rotate, and I began to loose balance. The elf-like person gave me a strange look at this. My vision began to blur, then sharpen, then blur, then sharpen, then blur, then sharpen until finally... everything went black, and all I heard was a _THUMP_.

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End of chapter! Oh, and the "thump" was me falling when I blacked out. :P  
Well, sorry for another short chapter. But like I said, this is the last short chapter!  
Next chapter, we'll see where I end up. I hope you look forward to the next chapter!  
Thank you for the reviews again! :) See you next week!


	5. Chapter 5

OKAY! Next chapter after that KO. :P  
Where will Mari wake up at/in? Read to find out!  
**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN HHAW! **

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Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story**

Chapter Five

The sun rays forced me to open my heavy eyelids. When I did, I fouind myself on a roof. The roof had a cement pavement and looked very ancient. When I felt my back on a soft spot, I turned around. Apparantly I was on a matress. As I got up, I began to hear voices down below.

"Mommy, mommy! I see a person!" It sounded like a six year old.

"Oh honey, you're just imagining things again."

"No! Look up there!"

I gasped, scared of getting caught, and backed up. I didn't notice a sky opening behind me so when I stepped back, I fell into the building. I shrieked until I landed on some carpeting. When I did, smoke appeared and i began choking on it.

"Ugh..." I moaned, feeling my sore throat.

"Uh... are you okay?" I heard behind me.

I gasped, immediately turning around. It was another boy, the same species of the other one I saw yesterday. This one was different. He had brown spiky hair, chocolate colored eyes, perfect tanned skin, wore black and brown stripped clothing, and had very faded freckles.

"Eek!" I squeaked, and stumble closed to a wall.

"No no no no, it's okay." he said in a very comforting tone. "I...I won't hurt you. Don't be scared." He offered a hand and helped me up.

_"Wow, his hands have fur..."_ I thought. _"It's so...soft."_

"Thanks..." I finally said, sheepish.

He grinned, exposing his perfect set of white teeth. Afterwards, he observed me from head to toe.

"Are you... a human?" he asked.

"Uh... y-yeah." I replied.

"Wow, you look amazing! ...Oh sorry, I forgot to introduce myself." He cleared his throat before he continued. "My name's Brandon McCoy. I work/live here in 'Jack's Carpet Store'."

With that, Brandon kissed my hand. I softly gasped, turning red. He looked up to me.

"And you are...?" he asked politely.

That's when I remembered why I passed out yesterday. It was the rush from falling, and my thoughts made it worse. I was wondering if I should've told that boy from yesterday my _real_ name that I was picked for. Now I was wondering if I should let Brandon know my real name.

"Uh... hello?" Brandon said, moving his hand in front of my face.

"Wha...? Oh! Uh, i-it's Mari." I stammeed a little.

"Mari...?" he repeated. "Nice name."

"Thanks." I replied. "...So uh... what are you?"

"I'm a Who."

I looked at him quizically. "Um... okay. But I mean-"

"I know. Like how you're known as a 'human', we're known as Whos."

"We?"

"Yeah. You're in Whoville."

"Ah. Brandon, do you know how I got here?"

"Inside? You fell in." Brandon replied with a childish grin.

"No!" I said between giggles. "I mean, how I ended up on your roof."

"Hm... Aha! Jojo!" Brandon snapped his fingers and then faced a wall.

"Who?"

But Brandon was already walking towards the wall, causing me to follow him. I saw photographs of different events including Brandon collaged on the wall. Brandon looked at a photograph and removed it from the wall. He gazed at it smiling.

"Yup, I remembered back then how we would help each other out with our 'projects' every day and night. Usually he would leave stuff for me to fix or take care of."

_"So... this 'Jojo' left me here for Brandon to deal with."_ I thought. _"That's... a little offending I think..."_

Brandon looked up through a sky light. "...It's been a while since we've seen we've seen each other..."

I tried my best to not stare at the picture and focus on him.

"Are you and Jojo long-lost friends or something?"

Brandon looked at me. "Heh... almost..." He gave me the picture to look at it.

I couldn't believe it... Brandon was with the same boy I saw yesterday! The two of them had their arms over each other's shoulder and were smiling. They were on the roof of the carpet store.

_"So that's Jojo..."_ I thought.

"Jojo and I are cousins." Brandon said.

I looked at him.

"He's older than me by two months. We met each other when we were three at his birthday party. We became pretty tight, and hung out for four years."

"Why'd you stop?"

Brandon sighed. "His dad has been preparing him to be the next mayor of Whoville."

My jaw dropped. "His dad's the mayor?" I asked awestruck.

Brandon nodded his head with a slight frown. "Yeah, but don't say anything about it around him! He'll get mad at you if you do!" he warned.

"Why?" I asked. "It's not like he doesn't want to be mayor, right?"

"..." Brandon stayed silent.

"Oh..." I said realizing the problem. "He really doesn't..."

I gave Brandon back the photo. "Do you know why?" I asked.

"Well, think about it." Brandon hung the photo back in it's place and then looked at me. "Would you want to be the next mayor in line given lectures three times a day, and participate in all meetings every single day until you're mayor?"

Brandon had a good point. "Alright, you're right. That _would_ be pretty boring."

Jojo's cousin smiled, glad to know I agreed with him. With that, he grabbed a couple of rolled up carpets and began walking away with them. I decided to follow him as I continued to talk to him.

"So...why can't he tell his dad about it?"

"Beats me." the black and brown stripped who replied. "He hardly talks to anyone but me." He put the carpets on a wagon piled with more carpeting outside in the back. "Maybe you should ask him."

"But... I don't know where he lives..." I said.

"Hm... I would show you around, but... I don't think it's a good idea to expose you yet." Brandon put his finger to his lip and began thinking. That's when he looked at his wagon and smiled. He turned towards me.

"I think I have an idea..."

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Cliffhanger! :D  
What will Brandon's plan be? :x I know, but do you? ;3  
GOD, that was a long chapter. My fingers hurt, and it took me about 45 minutes-to an hour to type this.  
I wish I was a faster typist. Vampire1031, do you have any tips? XD  
My God, I start school tommorrow! i'm so effin nervous! x_x" Wish me luck folks! i'll give you the deets next week!  
Well, I hope you look forward to the next chapter. See you then!


	6. Chapter 6

Next chaper! WAH-HOO!  
School's awesome... despite the fact my science teacher is a little crazy... o.O  
ANYWAYS! What is Brandon's plan? Read to find out!  
**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN HHAW! **

**

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Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story**

Chapter Six

The weather outside was perfect. Not too cold, not too hot. Many "Whos" (as Brandon says,) were smiling, greeting each other, and even helping each other! The buildings and roads were oddly shaped, but sort of gave you a happy feeling. Some Whos passed by on bikes with six tires, roller blades, and some unusual looking cars. The good about it though was bubbles came out of the car, instead of gas. (Editor's note: GO GREEN! :3) Brandon was pulling a wheelbarrow, stacked with carpets through town. Guess where I was?

"How you doing in there, Mari?" Brandon whispered behind him.

An opening appeared from the carpets.

"It's a little hot, but it's pretty snuggie in here." I whispered back at him.

He smirked. "Glad to know. We're almost at Jojo's house, so keep tight."

With that, I closed the opening and scooted back in.

_"Almost there..."_ I reminded myself. _"Just a little-"_

**CRACK!**

_"Aw, GREAT!"_

I opened a gap in the carpets and began getting Brandon's attention.

"Psst... Brandon!" I loud-whispered to him. "My glasses broke!"

"What?" he turned to see the lens on both sides now cracked.

"Oh... that's, not, good..."

He looked around for a brief moment and then looked back at me.

"What kind of glasses are those?" he asked.

"I'm near-sighted." I replied.

He nodded his head. "Alright, stay here for a sec. I'll be right back."

With that, he put the wheelbarrow down, rolled up a piece of carpet from the pile, and walked towards a direction. I hid back inside and two minutes later, a small box slipped inside. I opend it to see a pair of contact lens. I looked back at Brandon.

"Thank you~!" I whispered as I went back in. I put the contact lens on, surprised to see they fit. I smiled in satisfaction but then looked at my broken ones. The question was what to do with them... Shrugging, I put them into my right pocket and waited patiently until we reached our destination.

**Some Time Later...**

The wheelbarrow came to a stop and Brandon removed the carpets on top of me.

"Alright, we're here." he said.

He helped me land on the paved path towards a glass sliding door.

_"This must be the back door..."_ I thought.

"Do I just-?"

"Go in? Uh-uh." Brandon finished for me. "Believe me, Jojo's family is really big. You'll get spotted easily if you do that."

"So... how do I get in?" I asked.

"Go in through the window." he said, pointing to a window next to him. "Follow the long hallway and keep walking down until you see a brown door with a black door knob."

"Is that Jojo's room?"

"No, that's the closet. You might want to hide in there for a short while. Ya gotta be stealthy, remember?"

"Oh, right. So what do I do once the halls are empty?"

"Keep walking down until you see another door that's out of oak with a black doorknob-"

"Let me guess; another closet?" I interuppted.

"Nope. That's Jojo's room. His has a mark on his door that looks like a music note."

"..." I had nothing to say.

"Anyways, knock and he'll more than likely answer. Once he does, get to know him and ask him to stay. I would let you stay at my place, but I don't want you to sleep in a dusty area."

_"Wow, what a gentleman."_ I thought. Something occured to me.

"Brandon, why are you helping me?" I asked.

"...I can tell you're a really nice girl..." he answered with a smile. "For some reason, you remind me of Jojo... a lot... I think it's time you two had a friend. Besides, it's nice to help out others."

I smiled at that.

_"Why can't everyone be as nice as him when they first see me?"_

To be honest, Brandon was the first person to not run away from me or say an insult! It felt... nice...

"If you need anything, ask for directions to _'Jack's Carpet Store'_. But wear this;"

Brandon took out a black coak from the wheelbarrow.

"If anyone asks, just say you're going to/leaving from a Whoieval (Medieval) Convention." the Who said, handing it to me.

"Thanks Brandon, you're a good friend." I said after a nod.

He smiled, bid me goodbye, and went off with his wheelbarrow. When he was out of sight, I hid the cloak in some nearby bushes and went in through the window.

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Cliffhanger! :D  
Ugh... it still took me forever to type, but I know I'll improve! ...Somehow...  
Welly-welly-well-well, I bet you guys didn't think that was Brandon's plan, did you? ;3  
Will Mari be "stealthy" as Brandon told her to? What do you think? And what else lays ahead of this chapter? Stay tuned for next chapter!  
Ah! And thanks for the reviews! Really awesome to read, thanks guys! :3  
Well, look forward to next chapter! See ya next week!


	7. Chapter 7

Okay, resuming after that cliffhanger...~!  
So how "stealthy" will Mari be? Read to find out!  
**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN HHAW! **

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Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story**

Chapter Seven

It wasn't easy to open the window or climb in without making a sound. But somehow I managed. Remembering Brandon's instructions, I began walking down the hall. The walls were painted blue and plastered with portraits of serious looking people. I noticed all of them were wearing a specific crest that must've been a special "hand-me-down". I shivered when I saw a portrait of an old, raggedy "Who" in a ballet suit. _And it was a guy!_ I forced myself to stop looking at the portraits and find the door. I looked to my right and al of the sudden-

"Hey, let's look here!"

I gasped when I heard the voice and immediately hid into the closet. I heard a lot of stomping on the floor and chattering just outside the door. I listened to the people outside.

"Did you guys hear that?"

"Yeah, the door closed!" someone replied.

"Let's check the closet!"

I placed my hand over my mouth to hold my gasp. As the doorknob began to turn, I backed up towards the end of the closet. For some reason, instead of feeling the wall by my legs, I felt something fuzzy. I ignored it, assuming it was a fallen sweater. A crack of light entered the room, making my heart to pound and my palms to sweat. I shut my eyes, waiting to hear a yell of horror from the girls but then-

"Wait!"

"What?" the door stopped moving.

"I saw Holly, Hannah, and Hailey go that way!"

"Let's go!"

With that, the door closed and the girls left. I sighed in relief, my heart covered by my hand. But right after that event, I heard muffled crying. I looked down to my feet and saw a little girl. She looked at me, eyes red and puffy as she clung on my leg. Feeling my heart flood with guilt, I knelt down to her.

"Hi there sweetie, are you lost?" I asked in my softest voice.

She hiccupped as she tried to dry her eyes.

"I-I scawed." she replied which made me assume she was maybe 4.

"Of what?" I asked.

"Th-The dawk."

"Aw... it's okay." I said as I began to gently rub her head. "You don't have to stay here if you're scared."

I had an idea.

"Hey, let's go to your brother's room! You're playing hide and seek, right?"

The toddler nodded her head, yes.

"C'mon, hold my hand and we'll get out of here."

She held it with her small baby fingers as I opened the door. Outside, I could see what she looked like.

The girl was wearing a red-orange and orange stripped one piece baby suit. A HUGE stripped bow was placed on her short dark red hair. Her eyes were the same color as her hair, only it was soaked from her crying.

_"Oh my gosh..."_ I thought. _"She's so cute!"_  
(Author's note: What can I say? I'm a sucker for anything cute! X3)

The toddler noticed my hand different then hers. When she followed it up to my face, she let go of my hand. I gelt hurt, _knowing_ she was going to say an insult of a sort. She stared at me with a curious for what seemed as long as forever. Finally, her expression changed.

"You pwetty!" she said with a smile. "Me Hedy! What youw name?"

I looked at her with a gasp and blushed. That was so... sweet of her! I smiled back at her.

"I-I'm Mari." I said.

Hedy smiled, revealing a single tooth on the upper root of her mouth.

"Nice name!"

She all of the sudden put her hands up.

"Can you cawwy me to big bwother's woom pwease?" she asked so innocently.

I smiled, touched, and picked her up. Hedy rested her head on my chest for a brief moment, then looked at me.

"Thank you Mawi!"

I smiled at this and began to walk down the hall. If you thought this was going to end sweet, think again.

"AAAAAAAAHHH! Something's got Hedy!"

I turned around along with Hedy to see a bunch of girls staring at me wide-eyed. One of them, who I assumed announced me with Hedy, pointed at me with a finger, shaking like everyone else.

I gulped.

_"Oh boy, this is not going to end well..."_ I thought.

* * *

**DUN-DUN-DUN-DUUUUUUNN!**  
Caught red handed! Koa, you psycic or somethin'? You got a question right again! XD But can you and everyone else answer this?;  
What... the... heck... will... happen... NEXT CHAPTER? If you get this right Koa, I'm going to pay you to predict my future for now on! XD  
ANYWAYS! Another cliffhanger! Muahahaha- Oh! Ah, I mean, boo hoo for you guys... ^/./^"  
I liked this chapter. Too cute and suspensing! X3  
Well, let me know what you guys thought in your reviews please! Next chapter, we'll see how much damage there is.  
Thank you for reading this far! I really appreciate it! See ya next week!


	8. Chapter 8

Yah, you guys get to find out what happens to Mari after she got caught! :D  
R&R!  
**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN HHAW! **

**

* * *

****  
Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story**

Chapter Eight

I stared back at, let's see... wow, maybe 15 girls? All of them wore brightly stripped clothing and were staring at me as if I were some sort of serial killer. Hedy turned around when she heard a door close behind her. She smiled and let out a squeal.

"Big bwother!" she cheered.

I turned my head around and gasped seeing Jojo staring at Hedy and me. I could've sworn I heard a gasp escape his lips.

"What is going on here?" I heard a male voice down the hall.

I gulped, trying to keep myself from throwing up my heart.

_"Oh God, please don't tell me it's the dad."_ I pleaded in my thoughts.

I turned and saw a man that was dark and light brown stripped with a blue vest on top. Beside him was a lady who looked like an older version of Hedy. The difference was her hair was long and up in a ponytail.

"What are you girls star...ing... at...?"

Her voice trailed off once she saw me with Hedy. Her husband (at least I thought he was) gawed at me also. There was a very long moment of staring and silence. All I wanted to do was hide or turn invisible; Anything to get me away from here! Finally, the look-alike of Hedy spoke up.

"S-Sweetie," she was looking at Hedy as she talked. "Who's this?"

"This my fwiend Mawi!" she replied happily. "She help me be no scawe of dawk no mowe!"

All eyes laid on me at this. I didn't answer for a while but soon I realized they wanted one from me.

"Oh..." I say and put Hedy down.

"Um..." I bow my head towards them. "I-It's an honor to meet the family of the mayor."

"Well, it's an honor to meet...um..."

The mayor's voice trailed off which caused me to look at him.

"...Well... a friend of my daughter is welcomed here!" he shook my hand. "My name is Mayor Ned McDodd."

"H-Hello..." I reply, trying to imitate his grin.

"This LOVELY lady here," the mayor gestured to the lady next to him. "Is my wife Sally O'Mally."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mari." Sally said, shaking my hand.

"Come, you MUST meet the rest of the family!" the mayor said, putting an arm around me and started guiding me around the house.

_"Wow, Whos aren't quick to judge, are they?"_ I thought. _"I could get used to this..."_

* * *

Hey! That went a whole lot better than expected, did it! :D  
Sorry for such a short chapter! Next chapter will be pretty long and touching!  
Well please leave your reviews! And tell me what you think will happen next chapter!  
See ya next week!


	9. Chapter 9

Argh... I got a headache... I hope it doesn't last for long...  
I like this chapter, it's so touching~  
R&R to see why!  
**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN HHAW! **

**

* * *

****  
Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story**

Chapter Nine

"So any questions Mari?" the mayor asked after a couple of hours.

"...Um..." That was all I could say.

The entire time I was with the mayor, he told me about "The Greats", "Whostery" (I think it's _history_ for them...), the names of all 96 of his daughters (_96_, can you believe that!), and a bunch of stuff about Whoville so fast, I couldn't understand him. And to make my headache worse _again_, I'm getting dizzy from a revolving seat I was on. It rotated every 12 seconds causing me to loose my appetite. I was facing the mayor and his wife, trying to keep myself balanced. Sally noticed I was swaying back and forth in my seat.

"Honey, are you alright?" she asked concernly.

"I'm just not use to revolving chairs as I eat..." I moaned a little.

"Well you can wait for us in the living room. We won't take long." she said.

"Thank you..." I quickly get out of my seat before the chairs moved again and sat down on the blue couch.

_"Finally, I can sit without worrying about falling out of my seat!"_ I thought relieved.

After a couple of minutes of recovery, five girls sat around me. I looked at them and gave them a small smile.

"Hello..." I say.

To my relief, they smiled back. "Hi!"

It wasn't long after when a couple of more girls came every 30 seconds and began asking questions.

"How old are you?" one asked.

"Eleven." I reply.

"WOW, that's only two years older than me!" she beamed.

"What's your favorite color?" a second asked.

"Pink."

"Hey, us too!" say about six.

"How many sisters do you have?" asked a third.

"One."

"Do you a brother?" asked a fourth.

"Just one."

"WE DO TOO!" they exclaimed, all their faces beaming with aweness.

I tried to grin back.

_"Wow, I love this world."_ I thought.

After about ten minutes, the living room got flooded by girls and Mr. and Mrs. McDodd come in, followed by Jojo. The three saw me answering an eight year old's question.

"Can you tell us a bedtime story?"

"Yeah! A story! Tell us one!" I hear the girls say.

"Well..." I say, a little unsure.

"Please? Pleeeeeeaaaaasssseeee?" they all beg.

I looked over the parents and they nodded their heads. I smile at them and look at the girls.

"Sure."

"HOORAY!" the cheer in a unison.

With that, the parents sat between their daughters and Jojo leans against a wall. He had nothing better to do, so he decided to listen.

I put my finger on my lip, trying to think of a story to tell the family. I snap my finger after an idea.

"I got it!" I sit up straight before I begin. I was about sat something but I heard someone say "stand up".

"O...kay..." I say and get up as I clear my throat.

"Well... once upon a time... there was a lovely princess named 'Princess Aurora'."

One of the daughters raised her hand. "How pretty was she?"

"She was a maiden with hair as bright as gold, fair skin, and lips as red as the reddest rose."

"Wow..." all the girls said amazed.

"One day, Princess Aurora was walking down a path to the forest on a bright and beautiful day. All the animals followed her as she explained her life.

'You know something?' she told them. 'I met someone. And it was a prince'

All the animals listened, trying to know who this 'prince' was.

'Well, he's tall, and handsome, and...' she sighed dreamily. 'And so romantic...' "

"What did they do?" another girl asked.

"She told them that they walked together and talked together. And just before they said goodbye..."

"Uh huh..." the girls say, leaning in closer.

"He took her in his arms..."

"Yeah..." you could hear the excitement in the girls' voices.

"And then..."

"YEAH?" they say high-pitchly.

"...She woke up."

All the girls sat back down, letting out disappointed "awws".

"But she told the animals that when you dream a thing more than once, it will come true."

"Did she dream of it alot?"

"Yep."

All the girls smiled at this.

"And all of the sudden!"

The girls jumped at this.

"She saw someone nearby... It was a tall man, looked very handsome and wore fancy the clothing. She gasped in delight... It was the prince!"

All the girls squealed at this, excited.

"What did she do? What did she do?" they demanded.

"The princess went up to him, tapped his shoulder, and told him;

'Remember me? We met before.'

'When?' the prince asked.

'Once upon a dream.' she answered.

The prince didn't believe her. He turned to walk away, but she stopped him. She made sure she had his full attention and said to him-"

"Sing Mari!" I heard all of the sudden.

What?" I asked.

"Yeah, sing!" one by one the girls began to sing. After a while, I cleared my throat to stop them.

"So Princess Aurora made sure she had the prince's attention, and sang:

(QUICK! Open another window and copy and paste this on the URL! Remember to remove the spaces!)

https:/ www . youtube . com/ watch?v=h7gxHKsmkYw

_I... know... you~_  
_I walked with _  
_you once upon a dream~"_

Everyone's eyes widen in shock of my voice. Even Jojo was paying attention now!

_"I... know... you~_  
_The gleam in your eyes is so... _  
_Familiar, a gleam_  
_I know... its... true..._  
_That visions are seldom all they seem~_  
_But if I know you,_  
_I know what you'll do_  
_You'll love me at once, _  
_They way you did once_  
_Up-on... a... dream~_

_Once upon a time,  
I dreamed we'd be together~,  
In love forever~  
Once upon a night,  
I was wishing for a never~,  
A never ending~  
Once upon a time,  
Once upon a night,  
Once upon a wish,  
Once upon a dream~"_

I looked down to see a oink and lighter pink stripped girl tugging on my leg.

"Did he remember?"

"No."

Everyone gasped.

"He had drams about her too, but he wan't quite sure if it really was her. So the princess tried again;

_'I... know... you~_  
_I danced with you _  
_Once, up-on, a night~_  
_There... we... were..._  
_Wishing this dance would last forever all time_  
_I hope... its... true~_  
_This vision is more, than what, it seems~_  
_Cause if dreams come true,_  
_I know what we'll do,_  
_We'll dance once again,_  
_They way we did then_  
_Up-on, a, dream~_

_Once upon a time,  
I dreamed we'd be together~,  
In love forever~  
Once upon a night,  
I was wishing for a never~,  
A never ending~  
Once upon a time,  
Once upon a night,  
Once upon a wish,  
Once upon a dream~'_

The prince stared at her, held her close, and they kissed."

"EEK!" they exclaimed.

"He took her to his kingdom, got married a couple of years later, and lived happily ever after. The End!"

"Awww..." the girls swooned dreamily.

"Alright girls, bedtime!" their mother said.

"Awww..." they said disappointedly and began to walk upstairs.

"Girls, what do you say to Mari?" Ned said to them.

"Thank you Mari!" they called.

"You're welcome!" I called back.

Jojo stopped leaning against the wall and began walking down towards the hall. He gave me a quick glance and then resumed to his walk before I could notice him.

He was wondering about the story... _a lot_...

* * *

WOOT! Longest chapter ever! :D  
And if you watched Disney, you would notice the story was from Sleeping Beauty. :P  
(Yeah yeah yeah, call me lame, I don't care. It's my third favorite Disney movie!)  
Ooh, I gotta eat. Tell me what you thought of it honestly please!  
See ya next week!


	10. Chapter 10

I got home early from a stomach ache. :P  
It gave me more time to do my homework, write in my stories, answer my inbox, pick up my house, and post the next chapter of this story! :D  
Uh... there's nothing THAT exciting about this chapter... It's just Mari talking a little to the McDodd parents and then going to sleep.  
I promise the next chapter will be exciting!  
R&R please!  
**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN HHAW! **

**

* * *

****  
Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story**

Chapter Ten

_"Was he looking at me?"_ I thought to myself as Jojo walked down the hall.

Just right now, I could've sworn I saw Jojo look at me but then turned away. I tilted my head slightly.

_"I wonder why he was looking at me?"_

"Mari, are you alright?"

I blinked out of my thoughts andturned to see a concerned mayor looking at me.

"Oh, uh, yeah, I'm alright." I stammered. "It's just that..."

I tried to think of an answer that would make Jojo talk to his father, based on what Brandon told me. An idea came.

"...I...was... trying to see how the hall looked in a different angle!" I say with a false grin as I tilt my head.

"Hm..." The mayor put his thumb to his lip.

My heart began to thump and the palms of my hand began to sweat.

_"Oh no, he's not buying it!"_ I mentally panicked.

"You know... that does look rather interesting." he considered.

I sigh through my nose, relieved he didn't get suspicious. The mayor's wife came.

"Mari, I made your bed." she said.

I give her a strange look. "I have a bed?"

"Yes, of course! We wouldn't want to make our guests feel uncomfterable."

"Are you sure? I could just go to Brandon's house and-"

"Brandon?" Ned asked. "You mean Brandon Freesen?"

"What?" I ask, unsure if that was Brandon's last name.

"The young Who whom works at 'Jack's Carpet Store'?" Sally asked.

"Uh... yes why?"

"...Oh, nothing!" she insist. "It's just been a while since we've seen him."

"But coming back to the subject, no, you shouldn't have to come back and forth between our houses." the mayor said.

I smile at this. This was like... the fourth time somebody said or did something nice to me! "Thank you."

The married pair smile back at me, say goodnight, and walk upstairs. I look at the couch to see a white pillow covered by a green comforter. I turn off a light, take off my shoes, and get under the covers. In no time, I dozed off with a small smile on my face.

**A Couple of Hours Later...**

I wake up in the middle of the night, feeling my dry mouth. To solve my problem, I go into the kitchen and turn on the wanting to make anymore noises or go through the family's cupboards, I cup my hands to drink the water. Once I fely my throat satisfied, I turn off the sink and dry my hands by wiping them on my jeans. I turn to walk back to my bed, but notice something. Through the sliding door, I see a black and grey stripped who walking in the middle of night away from the house. I couldn't believe it...

"Jojo?" I ask myself.

I looked at figure closely, soon confirming it was him.

_"Where is he going?"_ I wonder.

Curious to know why, I quickly - yet quietly - go to the living room to put on my shoes. I soflty close the sliding door behind me and get my cloak from the bushes. I put it on and began to follow Jojo in the darkness of the night.

* * *

Like I said; a short and plain chapter.  
Well this will keep you guys wondering on what'll happen next chapter. :P  
Feel free to leave your guesses for the next chapter in your review! I like reading them! :3  
I gotta work on a project right now for english... Shoot... X(  
It's so boring! I'm surprise I haven't died of boredom yet. (Lol :P)  
Well I better start right now.  
See you guys next week!


	11. Chapter 11

Oh geez, it's raining _hard_ in my neighborhood. o.o All you hear is thunder!  
This chapter, is too indescribable for me. You guys will have to read for yourselves to understand.  
R&R please!  
**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN HHAW! **

**

* * *

****  
Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story**

Chapter Eleven

I kept myself a good distance away from Jojo. Everytime he would turn around, I would immediately hide in the shadows of the trees, bushes, and buildings. _Twice_ I almost got caught, so I had to be as careful as heck to not have Jojo find out I was following him. I was surprised at Jojo... I mean... think about it;

You have two parents who are both loving, caring, open hearted, respectful, sweet, and actually listen to your problems or anything you have to say. (At least compared to my parents.) And although you have 96 sisters, you won't be alone or feel left out. And if you wanna be away from them, you have your own room. _Your own room!_ Something I've always wanted ever since I was six. I really don't understand why Jojo would just... run away from it.

_"Maybe that's why Brandon wanted me to talt to him"_ I thought. _"He probably failed at it and wanted me to talk to Jojo, hoping I would make a new friend while I'm at it."_

"Brandon, you're a genius." I say ever so softly to myself before I come out from a shadow of a tree. I see Jojo toss a pebble up in the air before he jumped into a bucket.

_"Wait, BUCKET?"_

I look closer to see him take out an umbrella and began to move once he opened it. As he moved forward, I could see a giant contraption out of boulders and wires. He placed the pebble on one of the giant rocks and moved up. Once he got out, I hid in the tall grass before he could see me. As I layed on my stomach, I tried to get my thoughts straight.

_"How the heck am I going to cross that?"_

I get up and use the wire attached to the bucket to bring it towards me. I look at the invention and then at the bottom of the pit.

_Gulp..._

It doesn't take a genius to know one slip up can lead to a one-way ticket to death.

Very hesitant, I step into the transportation and open the umbrella. To my surprise, I began to speed up and had to swallow my scream to stay stealthy. That's when I realized I didn't know how to stop moving and my face was smashed against the other side of the cliff.

_"Ouch..."_

That's when I _barely_ realized I had to close the umbrella and did so.

"Way to go, smarty..." I insult myself with a murmur.

I hoisted myself onto the cliff and rubbed my sore face. Who knew a giant piece of rock and dirt can be so painful when you smash against it? I turn around and as crazy as it sounds, I could've sworn I saw Brandon's cousin fly up in the air.

_"Aw jeez, don't tell me I'm hallucinating now just because I smash my face against a cliff!"_ I thought.

I get up and my jaw dropped open. There was a sling shot... A HUGE slingshot that you can actually sling yourself with!

_"Uh-uh. No way, no how am I going on that thing!"_

I turn to leave, but then stopped myself...

...I had to do this... for Brandon. I can't just turn down his request after what he's done for me.

_"...Fine. This will be a special 'thank you' for Brandon."_ I thought.

I turn around and inhale a breath for courage.

_"...And I'll live with a job well done or die trying..."_

* * *

...I got nothing to say... My brain's dead. XP  
Well.. tell me what you thought of it in your review, please!  
See ya!


	12. Chapter 12

Ugh... I'm sick! X( I thought it would go away ever since Friday, but it didn't!  
Stupid change in weather!  
*Ahem* Anyways, sorry for such a short chapter last week! I was saving the "twist" for this chapter. ;P  
Read to find out what it is!  
R&R please!  
**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN HHAW! **

**

* * *

****  
Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story**

Chapter Twelve

I walked towards the invention, seeing a unicycle next to it.

_"I have to ride THAT?"_ I thought. _"I can't even ride a bike!"_

I sigh, knowing I had no choice but to get on it. I sit on the seat, trying really hard not to topple over. I had to hang onto the rubber of the slingshot to balance myself. Now all I had to do was figure out how to ride a unicycle.

_"If you pedal forward to go straight, then if you pedal backwards..."_

"EEP!" I almost fell over, but I slowly began to ride slowly. I stretched the band to the max and noticed a lever on my right.

_"Heh... I wonder what it does?"_

I pulled it and the whole contraption went up.

"What the...?"

I was shot upwards.

_"OH GEEZ, OH SHOOT, OH SNAP, OH FUDGE, WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO!"_ I mentally yell at myself.

I tried so hard not to scream as I felt the wind past me and a building come into view. Slowly I felt myself move forward until I was now standing straight in the air. Finally I felt my feet on ground. If anyone would see me, they would think I'm insane.

My hair was messy, tangley, and sticking out in different directions. My right hand was still over my mouth and I could feel my heart rapidly pumping. My eyes might as well pop out of my face by the looks of it. Catching my breath, I look down to see myself standing over a flight of stairs that go up.

I gasp.

"I... I'm alive!" I cheer to myself. "YEAH! WOOHOO!"

I came to realization of how quiet I was suppose to be, so I shut my mouth. I walk up the stairs, and see a star-observatory in my view.

_"Wait a minute..."_ I tilt my head to the side. _"Wasn't this...?"_

I walk closer to the building to observe it better. (No pun intended.) That's when I realize it was the same building I fell in where I first met Jojo. I look at the entrance and frown. The velvet door was boarded with at least seven planks. There was no way I could get in. I was about to give up and leave but then I thought twice.

_"Why not try knocking?"_

It was stupid, I know, but would it really hurt to try? I shrug it off and approached the entrance. I quickly ran my fingers through my soon-to-be-tamed hair before I knocked.

_Knock, knock, knock!_

...

No answer. I decided to try again.

_Knock, knock, knock!_

...

No answer again. One more time...

_Knock, knock- CREAK!_

I softly gasp to see a small cut-out open up from the door. Wearing a small smile, I step inside. I looked around and chuckle at myself for being right about my theory. But when I finished, I gasp.

All the drums, harps, bells, fiddles, bottles and so much more equipment made sounds; beautiful music that "colored" this room. You know; brought it to life. And guess who's back I saw a couple of feet away from me?

...Jojo.

Although I didn't know what he was doing exactly, I assumed he was admiring this. Maybe even more than me. Ready to talk to him, I clear my throat and walk to him.

"Hi Jo- !"

But I didn't see a box between us and trip over it.

_CRASH!_

Jojo turns around to see me barely sitting up and rubbing my sore chin.

"Arrghh..." I moan.

We look at each other and softly gasp. Before I knew it, Jojo sprinted towards me and pushed me away. I land on my back and sit on my elbows.

_"Why did he do that?"_ I wonder to myself.

I see him looking through the box, looking pretty frantic. I see him pull out a glass bottle, but there's just one problem; it broke in his hand. He pulls out a couple more, but they all end up breaking like the first one. He clenches his fist and glares at me. I wince, followed by a soft gulp.

_"Whoops..."_

The next thing I knew, he pointed towards the door.

_"Get out,"_ I read his body language, _"NOW..."_

Pretty frightened by this, I get up and walked towards the door. I turn around to see him still giving me his death glare.

"I'm sorry..." I say before I leave.

The door closed and Jojo looks at the broken glass on the floor. He was having bitter thoughts about me and what I've done.

* * *

OK, everyone needs to be honest about this, please;  
**Were you expecting that to happen?**  
**Did you like it?**  
**How do you feel about that event?**  
I just wanna know how everyone felt about the ending.  
Please tell me in your review and see you next week!


	13. Chapter 13

W00T! I'm better! :D  
Halloween was pretty good, since the fact I stayed home for the first time to pass out candy.  
(We got a big bag left over and it's all chocolate! :D)  
ANYWAYS!  
Holy smokes, Mari made one screw up and Jojo's not happy about it!  
Will he forgive her? Read to find out!  
R&R please!  
**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN HHAW! **

**

* * *

****  
Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story**

Chapter Thirteen

I slowly open my eyes to hear the sound of numerous voices. I sit up and remeber what happened yesterday as I rub the sleepiness off my eyes. And as you can imagine, I remember the incident last night.

_"Wow, I hope Jojo isn't still mad at me."_ I thought hopefully.

I slip on my shoes and fold the sheets into one pile on the couch. I heard someone clear thier throat so I turn around.

"Oh! Mr. Mayor!" I say when I see his grin. "Good morning!"

"Goooood morning Mari!" he drawled the word ''good" in a singing tone. "How are we on this fine morning?"

"Uh... Fine, thank you.." I reply.

_"Geez, how can anyone smile for that long?"_ I wonder.

"I just wanted to let you know that breakfast is ready and Hannah offered to let you borrow this;"

With that, he took out a purple brush from behind his back and handed it to me. I looked at it and admiringly stroked it. It was out of wood, painted purple and decorated with stickers and rhinestones. The name "Hannah" was embroided on the back with gold.

"That's so sweet of her..." I finally look at the mayor. "Tell her I thank her very much."

"Oh don't worry! I'm sure you'll catch her right at the table. You can even give it back to her when she's done using it."

"...Alright, I'll be in the dining room in about two minutes." I say after a moment of thinking. "Thank you Mr. Mayor."

"You're welcome Mari!"

He walked towards the dining room with a smile (as always).

_"What a nice young lady..."_ he thought.

* * *

When I finally detangle my hair, I walked into the dining room and sat down on an empty chair. I use one hand to hang onto the chair and the other to hold the brush. I see a pink and light pink stripped Who sitting next to me. I tap her shoulder to get her attention. She turns around and smiles when she sees me.

"Oh hi Mari!" she beams.

"Hi, um..."

"Holly!" she finishes for me.

"Oh. Well, uh, do you know where Hannah is? I need to give her back her brush."

"Oh yeah! She's over next to Hailey!"

She points to a purple and light purple Who talking to a red and red-orange stripped Who. I smile to see them across the table two seats away.

_DING~!_

_"Oh geez!"_ I think and immediately hang onto the moving chair. When it stopped moving, I sigh in relief and look across the table.

"Hey Hannah?"

She looks at me.

"Um... here's your brush. Thanks for letting me use it."

"Oh sure! It's a 'thanks' for telling us that story!"

She all of the sudden put her hands around the handle and looks away with stars in her eyes.

"It was _SO_ romantic~"

I smirk at her swooning. "I'm glad you liked it."

The chair moves, almost making me fall off, and my heart sank when I saw who was in front of me...

...Jojo.

The only brother stares at me with his eyes slightly narrowed and his arms crossed. I just focus on the floor, twiddling my thumbs.

_"This feels... awkward..."_

_

* * *

_  
"Mari, thank you again for sharing that wonderful story last night." Mrs. McDodd said as I brought the last dirty dishes.

"Oh, it was no problem! I love telling stories to others." I reply.

She smiles and resumes to her dishwashing.

"Uh, do you want some help?" I ask.

"Oh, no thank you Mari. I wouldn't want our guest to walk so hard. Hey, I know what you can do! We have a book shelf in the hallway; maybe you can read to keep yourself busy."

I grow excited at this, trying to control my urge to bounce with joy. One of my hobbies is reading; if you mention the word 'book' or 'shelf' to me, I'll immediately demand where it is and starting looking for a book.

"Oh thank you Mrs. McDodd!" I say before I sprint into the hallway.

* * *

I skim through the shelf, wondering what book I should read. There was,

_"The Creation Of The Whoville Anthym"_,

Hm...

_"The Many Wonders of The Greats"_,

It would be fun to match all the portraits of the mayors in the hall to thier description...

_"Archives of Whoniversal Studios' Best Movies"_,

Ooh~

I was about to pull that book out but something caught my eye.

_"What have we here...?"_ I thought as I stared at it.

_"Clash of The Humans and Whos"_ I read off the spine of a velvet color book. I pull that one out instead and opened it to the opening summary.

_There was once a time where the earlier Whos met new people known as 'humans'. Humans are almost like Whos except for the following features;_

_No fur_

_Longer legs_

_"Nails"_

_Small hair on body  
(Picture on page 8)_

_The humans and Whos decided to work together and shared information, knowldege, and much more to each other. The bonds between them and us grew and later evolved into a Golden Age of humans and Whos for nearly twenty years. But this started to fall apart. A human and his friends began insulting the Whos and causing trouble (see page 178 for details). The Whos tried to stop this, but it spread through the human's friends and family. This caused chaos and soon a feud grew between the two species. Eventually, it became a war. Thankfully, with the mayor's help, the Whos won and the humans-_

It was smeared with black ink to my disappointment. Shrugging it off, I go to the next sentence.

_The humans are now known as vicious, tempered, violent, damage property, rude, and are always determined to finish what they started. One of these attempts by one is a reminder why-_

I snap the book shut. Anger boiled in my blood and hurt flooded my heart. Those exact words... were the words I've been describing everyone who made my elementary years unbearable and so haunting to remember...And Jojo thought I was like one of them...

* * *

Geez, second longest chapter. Can you believe that?  
Well now you know why Brandon knew what Mari was once he looked at her.  
BUT, why wasn't Brandon afraid of her?  
What is Mari going to do about Jojo judging her like that?  
Was it really not important if the sentence was cut off with ink?  
All of this is to be revealed... Later on the story!  
Please review and see you next week! 


	14. Chapter 14

Tired... I'm so tired!  
School is so too much work for me now! I dunno if I can keep it up for another 8 months! TT^TT  
Well, hopefully typing it out will help me out.  
So Mari confronts Jojo about how he treats her.  
Will it go well?  
Read to find out!  
**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN HHAW! **

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Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story**

Chapter Fourteen

I knock on the wooden door with the black music note. After a couple of seconds, Jojo opened the door. He gave me the same narrowed eyes from earlier (_surprise, surprise_). I respond with a glare.

"I know why you hate me."

Before he could react, I open the book to the page that I read. His eyes widen at my discovery.

"So just because I make one screw up, it automatically makes me a threat?" I asked, the volume of my voice rising.

Jojo stared at me, never realizing how upset one person can be.

"Well let me tell you something; I was a _victim_ from people like that, okay?"

His eyes widen at that with a very faint gasp escaping his lips.

"Uh-huh, yeah, feeling sorry for me now. But I bet you don't know what it's like to go to school with people constantly planning new ways to humiliate you in public, tripping, pushing you, dropping your stuff, blackmailing you, teasing you,-"

_"Stop it, please. You'll only hurt yourself."_ The Who wanted to say.

"...And the worse part is no one is there to help you. No matter how much you try to ask, they dump you with some stranger to deal with your problems, AND THEY ONLY MAKE IT WORSE!"

I stopped to catch my breath. Jojo and I were surprised at how I "exploded" at him. I _never_ told anyone about my problems, and it felt so relieving to get it off my chest. My vision began to blur as I felt a wet substance roll down my face. I guess this is what happens when you kepp your feelings bottled up and don't say them until two years and you're upset. Feeling like I said too much (which I honestly didn't), I turn to leave. My head's hung causing my hair to cover my soaked face.

I heard something.

"...''

"It's just your imagination." A voice in my head insisted.

"..."

There it went again.

I turn to see the teen's head faced down and his hands in his pockets. His mouth moved, but the words were too soft to hear.

"What?" I ask.

He finally looks up, his eyes softened.

"I'm sorry." I hear him say for the first time. "I didn't know you went through that. I should've been more sincere."

Was I dreaming? Was he really being nice? And talking?

"And... I'm sorry about yesterday. It was an accident, and I acted pretty selfish. I shouldn't've jumped to conclusions like that." He scratched the back of his head and then looked at me.

You're... not hurt or anything, right?"

I just shook my head no, still surprised at his speech.

He half smiled. "You know... I guess you and I have more stuff in common than I thought."

I give him a questioning look.

"Like?" I managed to ask.

"You're not the only one with a bad past." he says, turning away.

My heart sank.

_Whoops._

I shouldn't've assumed he didn't have one. But it made me curious...

"How bad was it?"

He looks at me with a frown. I gasp at my question and immediately shake my head and hands.

"Oh my gosh, sorry for sounding nosy! Just forget I asked!"

"No, don't be." The only brother reassured. "You shared yours, I'll share mines."

He walks into his room and stops to look at me.

"Well? Are you coming in or not?"

* * *

YAH! HE FORGIVES HER~! ^-^  
Well, I'm not sure if I should go into detail with his life or just go to the next problem coming up.  
You guys tell me what you want!  
Well, I would like to know what you thought of the chapter please!  
Awwwrrggh, I promised myself I woundn't cry when I typed about my life, but I did! TT^TT  
I can't believe I can't get over it, no matter how many times I write about it!  
*sniff* Oh well.  
Please review and see you next week!


	15. Chapter 15

Well, since no one voted what they wanted to happen next (see last chapter to understand), I decided to move on to the next problem!  
BTW, it's like another twist. MUAHAHAHA-  
*cough*  
Before we continue! I wanna say thank you to **vampire1031** and **Whozonegirl** for supporting me when I cried about my past (again).  
Thank you guys so much, and I'm glad I met you!  
Now~ time to read to find out what the twist is!  
**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN HHAW! **

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Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story**

Chapter Fifthteen

There wasn't much to say about Jojo's life. It was like... a duplicate of mines. Except he's pressure to be something he doesn't want to be; the next mayor of Whoville. I felt really bad for him. Earlier I was babbling about how he couldn't have a life like mine but... I was wrong. I guess I really wasn't the only person in the world with a bad past. I'm a little relieved about it, and I'm hoping Jojo is too. I didn't feel like a misfit after he explained his story.

After I thank/helped him out a bit, I went back to the bookshelf to put away the book and read _"Archives of Whoniversal Studios' Best Movies". _I didn't want to bother anyone for a chair, so I decided to sit on the floor crosslegged. The book's pretty good to read! It gives the title of the movie, the plot, description, cast, characters, and so much more. I was reading the plot for a movie called _"The Land Before Whoville"_ when something interrupted me.

"Hey Mari?"

I look up to see four girls staring at me.

"Oh, hi guys." I say as I close the book, "What's going on?"

"Nothing much." the first one admitted.

"Our dad's looking for you." the second says.

"You want us to show you where he is?" the third asked.

I smiled before I get up. "Sure. Thanks for telling me."

They all smile, almost as big as their dad's.

"Okay! Follow us!" the last says and they began leading the way.

I place the book back in it's place and catch up to them. By the entrance (at least that's what I think it is), I see the mayor with Jojo. The mayor smiles at me a big smile and Jojo sends me a much smaller one. I didn't care if it was hardly visible, at least he wasn't glaring at me anymore. I thank the girls before they left and walked up to the guys.

"Um... you wanted me Mr. Mayor?" I asked.

"Yes I did."

That's the first time I've heard those three words come out of someone's mouth without a serious tone. My parents would use those words _a lot_ and they never sound as cheery as the mayor.

"See, Mari, I was about to explain to my son how to talk to the citizens of Whoville at a Press Conference, so~ I was wondering if you wanted to watch."

"You're actually going to have a Press Conference to come over here and interview him?" I asked, tiliting my head towards Jojo.

"No~! Of course not!" he replies, waving his hand down. "A couple of my daughters want to become reporters, so they'll be dressed up as the Press Conference to interview him!"

_"Oh... like a little practice."_ I thought.

"We're ready daddy!"

The guys and I turned around to see mm... seven? Six? Maybe eight girls with notepads, a hat over their head, large trenchcoats, and half had cameras while the other half had toy microphones.

_"Wow, they're fast."_ I thought.

"Alright then! Mari have you made up your mind?" Ned asked.

I shrugged. "Sure."

_"What could possibly go wrong?"_

"Great! Jojo, sit right here!" The mayor pulled out a chair from... somewhere...*. As Jojo sat on it, the mayor looked at me.  
(* I honestly had no idea where. It was like he got it out of thin air!)

"Mari, you can sit..."

He turned around and then got out another chair. Quickly, he set it a couple of feet near Jojo and then looked at me.

"Right here!" he said gleefully.

I sat on the chair as he brushed past me.

"Okay girls... start asking questions!"

And the next thing I knew, the girls spoke at once, lights flashed, and they were all leaning close to Jojo, shoving the microphones near his mouth. Jojo bacame too stunned to do anything except stare and sink in his seat as questions were thrown to him.

"What rule do you want to make?"

"What are you planning for the next celebration of Whoville?"

"The school is running out of books! What do we do?"

My heart pumped so fast and hard. I felt so bad for Jojo. He couldn't, heck, _didn't_ want to answer any of these questions related to his dad's career. I had to do something... But I didn't realize it would become the biggest regret of my life.

"STOOOP!" I exclaimed.

Everyone looked at me questioningly after they got quiet.

"Stop asking him all these questions! Can't you see he doesn't want to be mayor?"

Everyone gasped. My eyes widen and I immediately covered my mouth.

What did I just say?

The mayor looked at his son mournfully and did a weak chuckle.

"R-Really? Aha, w-well then..."

Jojo looked up to his dad, feeling himself shake.

_"No, he's frowning..."_

"I... I need a moment." the mayor says, walking upstairs with his hand holding his head.

The girls look at eac other in concern and follow their dad. Jojo had his head hung down, so I couldn't see his reaction. Before I could say anything, he got out the chair, ran straight into his room, and I could hear the loud door slam. I just stared at the floor, feeling my face become soaked with tears.

* * *

END OF CHAPTER!  
Big twist, I told you guys!  
Next chapter, we're gonna see Brandon (finally) and he gets an unexpected visitor.  
You'll have to wait next week to see who it is!  
Please review and see you next week!


	16. Chapter 16

Ugh... I'm getting sick and tired of school!  
All my teachers expect me to be exactly like my sister; super-smart.  
They want me to go to the same school as her that focuses on math and science, but...  
I want to go to a performing arts school!  
But I can't tell them, because they're looking forward to making me just like her and look down and disappointed in me if they find out...  
I guess I have no choice but to attend the same high school as her...  
So...  
I guess I'm in the same mood as the chapter.  
Read to find out why!  
**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN HHAW! **

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Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story**

Chapter Sixteen

Brandon was dusting and vacuuming the carpets he planned on selling tommorrow. He would've sold them today, but it was raining. A knock on his door interrupted his cleaning. Once he heard it, he turned off the vacuum, dust himself real fast, and sprinted to the door. When he opened it, his heart dropped. He stared back at me, amazed at how soaked I was from head to bottom. My eyes were pink and I breathed heavily. He couldn't tell if my face was moist from the rain or from crying. Maybe it was both.

"Mari?" he asked. "My gosh, what happened?"

"Brandon," I say, still trying to catch my breath. "I... I didn't mean for it to happen, I-"

"Whoa whoa whoa, Mari, calm down." Brandon interrupts me as he helps me come inside.

He hung my cloak before he turned on the heater. Then he gave me a blanket and offered me a seat next to him.

"What exactly happened?"

* * *

Jojo lied down on his bed, letting his tears fall onto his pillow. He blamed himself for all this.

_"It's all your fault!"_ A voice inside his mind yelled. _"You should've never trusted that human! All they do is cause trouble!"_

A knock came to the weeping who's door.

"Son? It's me." Came the mayor's voice.

"Honey? Open up please." Added his mom's voice.

Feeling like he had no choice, Jojo got up from his bed and opened his door to see his parents.

"Son, there's something we need to talk about." Ned said, sitting down on Jojo's bed.

Sally patted a space between her and Ned for Jojo to sit down.

"Jojo, I'm so sorry for forcing you to learn to becoming a mayor." the mayor began. "It's just... I was so excited to share all I know to somebody, I didn't think about how you would feel."

Jojo hung his head. "You were just excited to make me just like you. I didn't want to disappoint you, so... I went along with it."

"No, sweetie," Sally said, immediately hugging him. "Don't ever think that. If something's bothering you, you tell us. You shouldn't keep it bottled up."

"Just be yourself, Jojo. We want you to be happy." the mayor added, placing a hand over his son's shoulder. "It's okay if you don't want to be mayor. I can change the rules a bit and ask one of your sisters."

The black and gray stripped who finally looked up.

"Won't you get in trouble?"

"I don't think so. You kids are related to me, so it should still count."

Jojo smiled a small smile and sniffed.

"T-Thanks dad."

The man hugged his son. "Anytime, son."

Sally only smiled at this father-son moment. She looked at the time and then looked back at the men.

I'm going to start lunch now." she announced. "Jojo, why don't you find Mari?"

"Oh my gosh," he thought. "That's right! Where did she go?"

After Ned released his hug, Jojo sprinted out of his room and exited the front door to find me.

* * *

"...And then Jojo just locked himself in his room." I concluded my story as I stared at my hands on my lap.

Brandon stared at me, his eyes soft and his mouth a bit opened as he frowned. He couldn't believe what I've been through in the last hour.

"Maybe everyone back home was right," I mutter, my voice breaking. "Maybe I'm not meant to have any friends..."

"Don't say that, Mari!" Brandon said, placing a hand over mines. "There's no such thing as that; everyone deserves a friend!"

"That's easy for you to say," I reply. "Everyone here is super nice to each other. Everyone back home who I met so far is just the opposite."

"Then just find more people." he assured. "Trust me Mari; in a crowd od a hundred, you'll more than likely find a friend. Look; you've done it and now you have me."

I gasp at that.

I never thought about Brandon considering me as a friend. Why didn't I?

I guess...

...It's because I don't know how it feels to have one until now.

* * *

End of chapter!  
So~ What do you guys think?  
Next chapter and the one following after it will be super sad!  
I cannot believe how good I'm at with writing tragic happenings...  
You'll have to wait next week to see how good I'm at! ;P  
Well... review please and see you next week!


	17. Chapter 17

*sigh* Nothing has improved with my-teachers-expecting-me-to-be-like-my-sister incident.  
I wish I can get over with this school! I've never faced this much drama before ever since elementary.  
*sigh again*  
So... next chapter;  
OH! And the story won't be told in Mari's POV but the author's for now on, okay?  
On with the chapter!  
**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN HHAW! **

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Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story**

Chapter Seventeen

"C'mon Helen!" A Who that was purple and light blue stripped called to her friend.

"I'm coming!" replied Helen.

Helen was ten and roller-blade with Flora. She was blue and light blue stripped with blonder hair that goes down to her shoulders. Flora, being Helen's best friend, decided to teach her how to roller blade-after the rain stopped.

"Wow Helen, you're really good at this!" Flora said to her once she caught up.

Helen sheepishly looked at her. "Thanks, but I've couldn't've done it without you."

"Let's go to the library!"

"Okay!" Helen agreed before the began to roller-blade.

* * *

_Knock knock knock!_

Brandon opened the door to see his cousin panting and staring back at him. The black and brown stripped Who crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway.

"You really did it this time." He began.

Jojo gave him a confused look.

"Hurting Mari's feelings like everyone else in her world." Brandon continued. "Look; I know she spilled your secret, but she did it to talk for you, not to make you feel bad."

He... was... right... Why did he have to always be right when it came to problems like these? Jojo opened his mouth to speak, but Brandon interrupted him.

"If you're looking for her, she's not here."

What? Jojo thought.

"She left a couple of minutes ago to apologize to you. And..."

The younger cousin looked down before continuing.

"...She wants to go home."

She's hurt that bad? The black and gray stripped Who thought.

_SCREEEECCCH!_

**CRASH!**

The two stared at each other, wondering if they heard the same thing.

What was that?

When they saw each other's faces, they knew it wasn't just them who heard it. Brandon went inside followed by Jojo. He turned on the t.v. and flicked the channel to the news. There was footage to reveal a large crowd surrounding a car. The man by the opened driver's door had his mouth covered by his mouth, alomst like everyone else. Everyone stared at a girl on the floor who was bawling her eyes out and held her legs. Another girl about her age was trying to calm her down, but the tears exposed her intimidation also. Jojo couldn't believe it...

The girl who held her legs was Helen...

...The oldest sister of his family.

* * *

Wow... I can't believe I'm saying this, but...  
I'm friggin' good at writing tragedy! o.O  
(Nobody kill me please! *hides behind couch* I warned you guys last week!)  
So what's going to happen next chapter?  
Send in guesses in your review please!  
See you next week!


	18. Chapter 18

*headesk* I feel neutral right now.  
Last week, a few kids and I failed my science teacher's test and now afterschool we gotta go to his classroom to study the next unit and make sure we don't fail this one.  
My grade: 63% Yeah... not the prettiest grade ever.  
Our test is Thursday, so I'm studying like crazy.  
So next chapter;  
What was the damage of the accident?  
Read to find out!  
**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN HHAW! **

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Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story**

Chapter Eighteen

Jojo sprint into the Whoville hospital and stopped at the front desk. The lady stared him with sparkly tears in her eyes and told him where Helen was. He thanked her before making it into the room. When he opened the door, he saw his sisters and mom surrounding the bed where Helen laid. The mayor was in the corner of the room, listening to the doctor's diagnosis. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"It was that severe?" The mayor asked.

"I'm afraid so." The doctor replied, his head hung. "But she was lucky to survive that crash."

"It is." The mayor agreed. "So when will you start the operation?"

"We should be starting it now, but... I'll let the family comfort her for the next five minutes."

"Thank you." The mayor said to him before he left.

Jojo pushed his way through the sea of girls and stood by Helen's bed. The eldset of the sisters stared back at her brother with a smile.

"Hi Jojo." She says.

The black and gray stripped Who stared back at her and hung his head.

"Helen..." He can feel himself shake. "I'm so sorry."

"Jojo, it isn't your fault. It's mine."

"But..." A wet substance streamed down his face. "I should've been there! It's my job as a big brother to protect you, and I failed!"

Everyone can hear Jojo's sobbing. Helen hugged her brother and stroked his back.

"It's alright Jojo." She hushs him. "I'm fine now."

After Jojo calmed down, Mrs. McDodd sat next to her first daughter.

"Helen, honey, how did you end up like this?" She asked.

"I was rollerblading with Flora and when I crossed the street, the driver had some car trouble and couldn't stop. I would've gotten ran over but somebody pushed me out of the way. I only got injured by my legs."

"Who saved you?" One of the girls asked.

"I couldn't see their face. Once he/she got hit, he/she ran. But... I think he/she was wearing a black cloak."

_"Wait a second,"_ Jojo thought. _"Didn't Mari wear a black cloak? If she did, then... Oh no..."_

_

* * *

_

Mari sat, leaning against a dumpster behind a building. She tried to catch her breath and slow down her heart did this for about three minutes before examining herself. Her back hurted like crazy and felt heavy, her legs were numb, she got tire marks stained on her jeans, her cloak was torn from the back towards the front left side, along with her shirt, and had a bruise on her left arm.

"Okay, that was the most stupidest things you've ever done." She told to herself before removing the hood of her cloak from her head. "But it was definitely worth it."

She got upslowly and cautiously, letting soft groans of pain escape her mouth. As she dusted herself off, she noticed a red stain by her left pocket. Wondering what it was, she reached inside to find shards of glass moist with blood.

"This is what I get for not throwing it away." Mari thought before placing it in the dumpster.

She tore a piece of her cloak and wrapped it around her leg, hoping it would heal. When she finished, she trned around and felt her heart sink. There was a man staring at her. He was brown and gray stripped and had a brown mustache.

"Don't panic." Her conscience told her. "No matter what, don't panic!"

But you know what? She panicked.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" She and the Who yelled at each other before Mari dashed off.

The Who stares at the strange creature disappearing in the distance. As he tried to catch his breath, he came to a conclusion.

"I must tell this to the council!"

* * *

Uh-oh.  
We're getting to the climax, people! :D  
So~  
How will the council react to the man's news?  
What will Jojo say to Mari once he finds her?  
What's going to happen to Helen?  
These questions will be answered...  
...SOON!  
Review please and see you next week!


	19. Chapter 19

Okay, sorry for not updating sooner!  
I was packing and cleaning 'cause guess what?  
I'm going to Mexico for Christmas! :D  
So you know what this means?  
No new chapter until Jan 4th!  
Sorry guys! But I'm spending time in Mexico to be with my aunt, uncle, grandma, and cousins for nine days.  
But on the bright side; it'll make you guys desperate for the next chapter! ;P  
So this chapter;  
The man is going to tell the council about Mari.  
What will become of her?  
Read to find out!  
By the way, I wanna say thanks to my anonymous reviewers for their such kind words;  
**  
Geass Qween**; Thanks for saying it this story would be a good sequel to the movie; And Horton's not in it because the speck is in Mari's backyard, remember?  
**  
Alyssa**; I'm real happy that this is your first fanfic you read and liked it. I made it so Jojo's with a human because most authors put Who version of themselves with him in their stories, and I always thought "...Uh, why can't they just put themselves a a human?" So then I got this idea!

And my anonymous reviewer who left this;  
**"i really hope you continue this story for a while. it is really amazing! i cant wait to see what jojo does when he finds mari!"**  
Thank you, this story is always updated every Tuesday, and now you and other readers can find out what happens with Jojo and Mari in this chapter! ;3

Read and review please!  
**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN HHAW! **

**

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Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story**

Chapter Nineteen

The councilmen were in Town Hall's building, discussing about planning an occassion for Whoville. Things were going well, when all of the sudden, the doors swung open. The councilmen turn to see the brown and gray stripped Who from earlier standing at the doorway. He raised his finger to speak, but was panting too much to even do so.

"Yes? State your buisness." A green Who named Chairman Vonfrood asked.

The man continued to pant, but tried to speak. "Outside... taking out trash... saw a... a.."

" 'A' what? Spit it out!" Vonfrood demanded.

The Who caught his breath finally and said; "I saw a human!"

The councilmen gasped with enlarged eyes. Vonfrood narrowed his eyes.

"A _human_? _Here_? Are you sure?"

"Positive... I'm amazed it didn't harm me."

The chairman looked behind him.

"So it's defenseless... None the less, we must do what our ancestors have decided to make of the humans."

The councilmen went to a bookshelf and each got a copy of the book; "Clash of the Humans and Whos". They all turned to the same page and read out loud;

"_Any human within the premises of Whoville,_  
_Must be captured, exiled, and/or killed_."

That was the section of the whostery book that had ink, and Mari thought meant it was no big deal. ...But it was. The men snap thier book shut and looked at the black and gray stripped man.

"So, tell us citizen; where did you last see the human?"

* * *

Mari kept on running, despite how much her body resisted. Finally listening to it, she stopped and bent over to catch her breath. She all of the sudden felt something grb her and pull her back. She gasped.

"No! Let me go!" she exclaimed, trying to get out the stranger's grip.

The stranger turned her around and she gasped.

"Jojo?" Mari asked before taking a step back.

He gave her a small half smile, trying to make a good impression. She only frowned, making his heart sink.

"Look, I'm sorry for hurting your feelings from earlier. I just... got so upset about my dad knowing I didn't want to be mayor. But... you did me a favor."

Mari's eyes widen.

"I'm serious; my dad told me it was okay."

He slightly hung his head. "Mari, I'm so sorry for shunning you. You nearly died because of me."

"What are you talking about?" she asked him.

"...I know you saved Helen from getting ran over."

She gasped and looked at her feet.

"I... I thought if I saved your sister's life, you'd see how sorry I was for telling your dad about the whole mayor thing. Besides... I thought no one would care if I got killed."

Jojo stared at her in disbelief.

"...Mari, _I_ would care."

Her heart sped up it's beat. "What?"

"I know I didn't show it when we first met, but I actually do care if you got killed. Because... then I would miss out on getting to know you."

"You... really want to get to know _me_?"

He nodded his head to her surprise. "I didn't see it before, but... you're a really nice person a friend can have."

The human's eyes watered and she hugged him. The only brother took a soft step back, surprised at her reaction.

"Thanks..." she said to him, shaking. "It means so much to me."

Jojo hesitantly hugged her back and heard something. He turned around.

"Brandon?"

"Mari broke the hug to look at Jojo's cousin.

"Brandon, what wrong?"

Brandon shushed her. "The councilmen know you're here." He explained. "They're going to find you and exile you."

The eleven year old gasped, covering her mouth. She shook and stared at the flor.

"What am I going to do? ...I'm going to die!"

Jojo touched her shoulder. "Don't worry, we won't let them find you."

He looked at Brandon. "I have an idea."

* * *

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the climax! :D *confetti*  
Oh dear, oh dear, things are burning up now!  
Too bad you guys have to wait more than a week for the next chapter! XP  
The councilmen are after Mari!  
Jojo has a plan! But what is it? And will it work?  
You guys got to wait to find out!  
Review please and Merry Christmas!  
See you next year! ;3


	20. AUTHOR'S NOTE!

***NOTE***  
This is not chapter 20 to "Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story"! This is a little something lightfaith0606 thought she should tell her readers.

**AUTHOR:**  
Hello everybody, it's me once again. I know that I haven't updated for over a month, even though I promised. Well, it's just... too much has been happening to me, I've barely gotten the chance to write type the next chapter.

If anyone's interested, here's what happened;

After I got back from Mexico, I had to unpack and had only one day to get my stuff ready for school the next day. Unexpectedly, when I got in school, it was CHAOS! All my teachers assigned me a bunch of projects, essays, reading, and studying to do before it was the end of the first semester. But before all that, we had to apply to the high schools we wanted to go to and it was due on January 7th. I was sick and tired of everyone pressuring me to be like my sister, just because I was nearly smart as her. So I was planning on not applying to the same school she was in. But on that same day, I started to cry, my parents asked me what was wrong, and I told them that I knew my science and math teacher were going to be mad at/disapointed in me for not being like my sister. They told me that I could apply to the school my sister was in, but that didn't mean that I was going to go there.

To anyone who's a bit confused, we have to apply to our top 3 high school choices just in case one of them doesn't accept us, we could go to the other one. So my top choices were the performing arts school first, the school my sister is in second, and another school that had a enviormental program third. Two weeks later, I get a letter from the school my sister's in, and they didn't accept me. Honestly, I saw that coming. :P And I just started laughing about it. When I told my classmates about it, they were shocked and asked;

"Why? You're friggin' smart!"

And I told them; "Becuase I'm more creative than rational."

It proved how more rational my sister was than me. But that didn't mean I wasn't smart! It just meant my sis' more smarter than I am when it comes to math and science. And you know what? I'm more creative in my writing than she is. That's why I always have a higher grade in Language Arts than her.

So about four days pass by and I realize that my stomach feels strange. I couldn't bend over, and I couldn't eat without feeling a rock in my stomach, even if I ate a meal as small as a cupcake. I thought it would go away, but it didn't, and so I went to the doctor. After a diagnosis, blood test, and x-rays, it turned out I had an infection. I was a bit concerned since I didn't know if it was life threatening, but it wasn't. All I had to do was take three doses of a liquid medicine for ten days. In the meanwhile, I had to make two projects (which were very complicated) and an hour of reading each night. Once my medicine was finished, I didn't have the infection anymore. (Yay!)

On January 17th, I had to make a speech for my elective class which was manditory. My speech talked about my dad working in a resteraunt his brother and cousins worked in, how he got set up, and the life lesson. Now honestly, I _hate_ getting attention (if you guys had me as a classmate, you'd notice how quiet I am), facing crowds, etc. I was _shaking_ during my speech, but I told myself to keep going so everyone would know why I'm telling them this. Everyone liked it in the end, and I got a pretty good grade on it. But once I sat down, my heart was pumping, my face was burning, I was shaking, and I couldn't bend over without feeling pain. I panicked, because I thought my stomach turned into an iceball. My sister told me that if you stayed out in the cold for a long time, your stomach could freeze and if you go inside a warm building and start moving alot, your stomach could pierce one of your organs and make you die. I thought that happened to me, I asked my teacher if I could go to the nurse, she let me go, and it turned out I just had a nervous breakdown.

Days pass, I do essays, take quizes, notes, reading, projects, study for six tests I have to do On January 28th, and guess what happens three days before?  
I fall.  
My foot got caught on a piece of uneven ground, and I just.. fell. People saw, some laughed, a couple asked if I was okay, and I lied that I was. I always have to walk home, and let me tell you, it's not easy walking seven blocks home when your palms and knees are burning and sore. Once home, I looked at my hands and knees and the damage was probably my worst fall. My left hand had a splinter in it, my right hand was red, my left knee had scars and my right knee was bleeding and had a scrape the size of a quarter. I cleaned up, and had a hard time bending my hands and knees for three days. I even had to run on the next day. -.-"

Time passes, I study, take the tests on Friday, and today I get results. All my tests I scored between 85% to an 88%. And to make this day better;  
I GOT ACCEPTED INTO THE PERFORMING ARTS SCHOOL! :D :3  
Super happy, all they want me to do is choose one of the following; vocal or theatre. I'm really not sure what to choose; I wanna get over my stage fright, but I also wanna work on high notes. :X

I think this day is going to be good, but I was wrong. Here's what made my day super crappy;

I met a friend a long time ago (well it was last summer), and I was really happy I got to know him. He was super nice, sweet, and just... the first guy I met and didn't insult me or anything like what most people would do once they see me. I told him about my past, and... I was happy he got to know me unlike many people. We met when our schools took us to Washington D.C. as a field trip, and it lasted for five days. We exchanged numbers, I drew him a picture as a "goodbye, I'm so happy I met you, let's stay in touch" gift. I sent him a text once a month, but he never replied until three months later. It was really short, I was little bummed, but I didn't make a big deal out of it. I didn't text him until this weekend, and he didn't reply until six hours later. I decided; "Oh well, maybe he'll text me once he's not busy". But today, one of my friends talked to me. Her sister was one of the people who went on the trip too, and got to know the guy too. My friend told me that the guy said to leave him alone because he was with her sister.

At first, I think; "Oh, he's just doing that to not make her jealous." But then I think it deeper, and figured out something; "How will she found that I texted him if they live two hours away from each other?" And my conclusion; he doesn't want to have anything to do to me. Now, and as I was typing this author note, I was crying because I felt like he didn't give a damn about me, he tried to be nice to me so that every girl can think he's sweet, and that all I did was a waste. And to think I told him all that happened to me so that he would just stab a knife in my back. So at the moment, I'm too depressed and I can't find my inspiration to type chapters.

Will I stop writing "Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story"? No. I just need to find my inspiration and the time to type chapters once again. Now to reply to my anonymous reviewers before I do my homework;

**Anime Fan Star**: Thank you so much for the kind words. I try to keep the characters in character and I'm glad somoeone finally say how I'm doing a great job at that. Hm... Mari telling about the deep sleep part? ...You just gave me an idea! Thank you so much! ;) Really? You feel like it's like watching a movie? That's awesome! I didn't think my story would be _that_ good! ^-^ And I look forward to seeing more of your reviews!

**Geass Qween**: You're welcome about your question answered; I'm always willing to answer anyone's questions. I figured your name was from the show Code Geass. I've heard about that anime. I'll be sure to check it soon! Ah! You're seen the story "Jojo's Life" on YouTube too? That's cool 'cause I've read them when they were released. :P People, you should read the series on youtube! It's really good and it was another influence on writing my own Jojo-story. AH! You noticed how Jojo and Mari aren't really showing "love" for each other and are asking if that's why it's called "An Unlikely Love Story"? Well you know what?

THAT'S EXACTLY WHY THE STORY'S CALLED THAT! A round of applause for **Geass Qween** for solving the title everyone! :D :3  
*claps*

*ahem* Continuing my answers for **Geass Qween**...

Another reason why I haven't been writing for this chapter, is because I upload chapters for other stories that I promised readers it will be posted on a certain date. But I've stopped ever since all this stuff has been going on this month. As for the writer's block, that's true. I'm in a temporary writer's block but it's a good reason; a couple of months ago, my mom let one of her co-workers come over so she could help her with some studying. She brought her kids who were under six years old, they went into my room, and *shudders at thought* The drooled and tore all my books I work so frigging hard on for three years! D'X The amount; 7/26 were torn to shreads, 11/26 were ripped from the pages, and the rest were okay. I have to rewrite the story "Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story"! *gets on knees and yells for a minute* I remember for chapter 20, I had a chase scene that took me FOREVER to come up, and now I can't remember it! X'(

**Animeniac**: AWESOME! Yo had the same thought of my story! :D :3 Aaaaww~ I can't draw Whos that good either! ^-^ But I bet if you practice, you'll get better and better! ;) I'll be honest; I thought that my stories wouldn't be good, but look what happened to it! Every week I get at least one person favoriting it, and get many reviews! You don't know how to post stories? Don't worry; I'll help you with that once you get an account and I'll even edit your chapters if you want! :) P.S. Do you like Animaniacs? 0w0

That's it from me! I'l see you guys soon, hopefully!


	21. Chapter 20

It's a miracle, people; I FOUND MY INSPIRATION :D :3!  
After seeing eveyone's reviews, reflecting, and then looking back at my stories, I realized that my inspiration is to show everyone my gift in writing.  
I'm not going to let one douche bag wearing a pretty boy disguise stop me from sharing my talent.  
So long story short; I'm out of my depression state and I'm ready to finish this story.b :D :3  
Oh and this is a special chapter!  
Why?  
Because once my fans review, I'LL HAVE 100 REVIEWS! :D :3  
YAY! I is so happy! X3  
So let me thank the following for supporting this story so far;

**DarkMidnightStars**, (My inspiration who helped me write this. :D :3 Dude, where are you? D:)  
**vampire1031**, (My first review and my new big brother. :D :3)  
**Animation Universe 2005**, (Always giving me positive reviews)  
**dreamer726**,  
**Whozonegirl**, (My new sister who I love very much! X3)  
**Anime Fan Star**,  
**AllyBum**,  
**.is.**,  
**skatergirl1**,  
**Riku's Music Lover**, (My new therapist and my life supporter :D :3)  
**Geass Qween**,  
**Alyssa**,  
**Animeniac**,  
**Izyle**,  
**9oreo9**,  
**xx-Cheshire Cat's Grin-xx**,  
and **roomofangels**.

Thank you all, if it weren't for you guys, I would've never realized how nice people can be and how good I am in my writing. :D :3  
Hugs for everyone! *hugs reviewers*  
Now to reply to my anonymous reviewers and then we'll start chapter 20! :D :3

**Geass Qween**; Geez, why do people think it's so awesome for someone to have their story edited by me? XD Am I _that_ popular? Heh, glad to know you're happy about your theory being right. :) Oh, and thanks for reading my other story. Makes me feel happy someon's willing to read my other stories, especially if the genre's something new. :3

**Alyssa**; To be honest, I thought Alyssa was your real name. Guess I was wrong! ^-^" And you shouldn't feel like an ass after your last review. You just felt sorry for me... and you maybe also felt like strangling the pretty-boy. XP Glad to know you're feeling better, and you could celebrate by reading this chapter! :D :3

**skatergirl**; It's strange, but ever since I wrote out my feelings in the author's note, I felt a little better and learned that I should just forget and move on. Thanks for the support, by the way. :)

**Animeniac**; Alright, what I mean by "account" is you need to be a member of FanFiction in order to send messages to people, write your stories, and add stories and authors to your favorites. It's alright about not taking my offer right now. I can wait until you're ready. And to everyone, I will be more than thrilled to edit anybody's story if they ask. Don't be afraid to ask me! Uh, continuing Animeniac's review; thanks for reviewing, and yea; I'm not gonna let a pretty boy keep me down.

**Anime Fan Star**; ? I'm awesome? O.O I never really thought about myself like that, so uh, thanks. ^-^" And as for the pretty-boy player, I'm over him. *throws dart at his picture* Sort of.. :P Heh, yeah. Your review got me thinking about how to rewrite one of the last chapters, and now I got a good idea. It should be in... around chapter 23. I'm glad you look forward to it. :)

Whew! And to think that I might get more anonymous reviews to answer!  
So what's in this chapter?  
A twist and a surprise in one! :D :3  
Read and review please!  
**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN HHAW! **

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Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story**

Chapter Twenty

The councilmen sped walk in town, searching for a cloaked figure. Chairman Vonfrood was determined to find the human, no matter the circumstances. They past through crowds, looking at everyone's faces. Vonfrood's eye caught something; there was a hooded figure walking a couple of feet ahead.

"There it is!" He told the councilmen.

They walked a little faster to the figure. When "it"saw them, it ran. This made the men run after the human. The human jumps on a trashcan and rolls away. Vonfrood growls.

"How dare you litter?" He yelled.

The cloaked figure jumped off the trash bin before crashing into a cart and run into a crowd. Two of the councilmen crash into the cart, but the rest sprint into the crowd. They push past citizens, trying not to lose sight of it. They get out of te crowd, baffled to find out they lost their target. Out of the blue, a whistle was heard and one of the councilmen who got hurt earlier pointed up.

"It's up there!"

The men look on the roofs to see it running away. Vonfrood narrowed his eyes at the intruder and looked at the councilmen.

"Surround it! Get it from the other side!"

The fugitive saw two men up ahead, ready to jump it. The fugitive ran faster and then slid between their legs. The men look at each other dumbfounded and look back at to see their target escaping. The creature came to a sudden stop, realizing the men had surrounded it. All of them, including Vonfrood, gave the trespasser a sinister grin.

"JUMP IT!" The chairman exclaimed.

Once the councilmen leaped, the fugitive got on the ground and rolled away. It took them a couple of minutes to realize their target was gone. This did not help the leader's anger.

"I WANT THAT MONSTER CAUGHT!"

The fugitive laughed, to distracted to realize the building in front of it. It crashed into the wall of the building, and fell on it's back. Before the figure could get up, two other men held it down. Vonfrood got on his knee and gave the struggling figure a sinister smirk.

"Time to reveal your identity."

He shoved the hood of the cloak back and the men gasped.

"WHAT?" The lime colored Who exclaimed.

It wasn't a human. It was a Who. And guess whom that Who was?

Brandon.*  
*(You didn't really think Mari did all those stunts, did you?)

"Aaw... now I'm going to be late for the Whodevial Convention!" He complained.

"What is the meaning of this?" The leader demanded. "That citizen said the human was in a cloak!"

"There's a human here?" Brandon asked, trying to act surprised.

The chairman was about to tell the men to let Brandon go, but he realized something.

"That face... and all those stunts... They're awfully familiar..."

After some thinking, Vonfrood recognized another thing.

"You work at that carpet store... Brandon McCoy! That's your name! Weren't your parents... Jacques and Anne McCoy?"

Brandon didn't like where this was going.

"Why do you ask?" He narrowed his eyes.

"If memory serves right... they were Whoville's wanted Whos."

The black and brown stripped Who felt his blood boil.

"Jacques was a thief magician, I believe." He continued. "Well known for stealing citizen's jewels and precious things, hosting magic shows, but was always impossible to capture. Anne was a gypsy, using her witchcraft to get money and to escape us. They wed later, and then-"

"And then I came along." Jojo's cousin interrupted. "They did everything and anything they could to help raise me, but _you _took them away from me! I used my dad's stealth and my mom's agility to claw, grab, snatch anything I could get to take care of myself at the age of _six_. My parents did the same just to have enough money to have a roof over their head, their bellies full, nand to run the carpet store. They didn't hurt anybody, but you didn't care! Your so-called 'exile' of my parents turned into an _execution_! I don't care what the Whostery books say! You guys are the monsters; not Mari!"

The orphan couldn't believe what he just said. He bit his lip, hoping the councilmen didn't hear what he meant by "Mari". But judging by the crooked smiles they wore, they understood it crystal clear.

"Mari...?" The leader repeated. "That must be the human's name."

Vonfrood grasped Brandon's collar so they would meet nose-to-nose.

"Where are you hiding here?"

"I'll never tell you."

The man slapped Brandon across the face.

"You will tell me where she is." He warned. "Or we will arrest you for your previous thefts and burn down your precious store."

* * *

That Chairman Vonfrood can be a real cruel Who, can he?  
You guys weren't expecting Brandon's to be like that, did you? ;3  
So what do you guys think; will Brandon tell the councilmen where Mari is?  
Or will he sacrifice himself just to save someone he's still getting to know?  
And where are Mari and Jojo?  
All these questions to be revealed next chapter! :D :3  
Thank you all once again for reviewing, and for taking the time to read this.  
I gotta do something special for you guys, but I don't know what.  
I'll think about it.  
Happy Valentine's Day and see you in chapter 21! :D :) :3


	22. Chapter 21

I apologize for another late update! I got something going on in my school which will make everyone scream because it'll slow me down in my updates;  
Science Project!  
*and this is the part where everybody "Boos"!*  
I know, but in order for me to get to high school, I have to do it.  
But enough about me! Let's get back to the story;  
Chairman Vonfrood threatened Brandon to show them where Mari is, or he'll lose his home!  
Will he tell? Or will it be his life over Mari's?  
Read to find out! :D :3  
Before we start chapter 21, lemme reply to my anonymous reviewers! :D :3

**Geass Qween**; No problem for the shout out, thank you for the welcome, and isn't it amazing what Brandon has been through? ;3

**Alyssa**; Oh-ho! You're already wondering how Jojo will feel about Mari being captured, huh? ;3 Lemme tell you, IT WILL BE ANSWERD IN THIS CHAPTER! :D :3 So hurry up and scroll down to read! :D :3

**Animeniac**; Hooray for my first review that involves someone liking how I write my dramatic parts! :D :3 Thank you very much!

**Anime Fan Star**; You never reviewed, so I don't know what to say... :x

Read and review please!  
**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN HHAW! **

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Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story**

Chapter Twenty-One

Jojo and Mari were in the carpet store, waiting for Brandon's return. You see, Jojo's plan was to have Brandon make the councilmen think the citizen's story of Mari was just a rumor. That way Mari would be sake in Whoville. In the meanwhile, Jojo and Mari decided to get to know each other better.

"What's it like in your world?" Jojo asked.

"All I can say is, very boring compared to yours... and cruel." Mari replied. "The only way for me to enjoy myself is through my hobbies. Um... you remember how I said I was picked on a lot?"

He nodded his head.

"My teacher suggested I can draw or write during recess, just so that I won't be completely lonely. And... I liked it. I found them as ways to express nmy feelings, instead of keeping my mouth shut. It also inspired me to write or sketch things that I wanted to happen to me. I called them 'Imaginary Memoirs'."*  
*(True story people!)

Jojo gave Mari a small smile. "I like expressing myself through my music."

"You mean all those instruments in that observatory-?"

"Were times when I had an emotion and I had to let them out. When I discovered the observatory, I found a couple of blue prints of new instruments. Since I had nothing else to do, I began to build them. At first it was just for fun, but... I noticed how the insruments sounded like and realized they had emotional tones."

"Emotional tones?" The human slightly tilted her head.

"I'll show you what I mean when we got to the observatory."

_Knock knock knock._

The two stared at the door.

"Brandon-?"

Jojo put a finger to his lip and Mari caught off her sentence. He gestured to the table nearby and whispered; "Stay under there, no matter what happens."

She nodded her head and got under. Jojo draped a carpet over it. He crept towards the door and slowly turned the handle.

_Creeeaaak..._

The black and gray stripped Who stared at the figure outside and sighed.

"Oh good, it's just you." He told Brandon.

Brandon hung his head, staring at his feet. The eldest McDodd child tilted his head.

"Brandon, what's wrong?"

"Jojo," Mari could hear underneath the table. She tried to ignore her pacing heart and leaned her ear close to the object between her and her friends.

Brandon looked at his cousin with pink eyes. "I'm sorry..."

The next thing the black and gray stripped Who knew, one of the councilmen slammed his head to the floor and sat on him. Jojo grit his teeth in pain and looked up to see the rest of the councilmen skimming through the room.

"Search everywhere!" Vonfrood bellowed. "I want that human caught!"

When the eleven year old heard this, she gasped but censored it by covering it with her mouth.

"Oh no..." She whispered ever so softly.

"Come on out, human!" Mari could hear the chairman. "Or your so-called 'friends' will perish!"

One of the other councilmen thrust Brandon into a wall, twisting his arms backwards.

"AAH!" Jojo's cousin exclaimed.

"No... stop it..." Mari pleaded in her mouth.

The councilman on Jojo used force on his hand to press Jojo's hand to the ground.

"Unh!" He released his pain through his teeth.

"This is your last chance, human!" Vonfrood declared. "Come on out, or they won't see the light of day again!"

"Don't do it, Mari!" Brandon yelled.

He shut up when his arms got twisted once more.

The intruder covered her ears, wishing this would all go away. Her heart raced almost the same speed as her breathing. She bit her lip as a tear slid down her cheek.

_What do I do? I can't let Jojo and Brandon get hurt just for me! If I reveal myself... will they be okay? Yeah, they should. This is what friends do, right? Thay make sacrifices for each other. So it'll be my life over theirs..._

Mari forcefully wiped her tear away and jolt out from the table.

"STOP IT!"

Once the councilmen faced her, their eyes enlarged and they stopped torturing their victims.

"Ugh! It's hideous!" One said.

"Have you seen anything more atrocious?"

"You..." Vonfrood marched to her and used her neck to hold her against the table top. "You're the monster that has intruded into my city! Now you'll face the concequences!"

With that, he flipped her on her stomach and cuffed her. Dragging her by the cuffs, he walked out of the store. The chairman quickly cocked his head to signal the colleagues on Jojo and Brandon to follow him. They let them go, and slam the door behind them.

Jojo slowly got up and rubbed his sore head. He faced his cousin who was on his knees and facing the wall.

"Brandon, what happened?" He asked, trying not to scold him. "I thought we agreed-"

Brandon immediately buried his face into Jojo's fur. The older cousin could hear his sobbing matching the rhythm of his shaking.

"I-I tried Jojo!" He finally speaks. "But... they said that they would burn down my house! I can't let them do that! It's the only thing left of my mom and dad!"

Jojo had never seen this side of Brandon. He always saw him as brave, daring, and adventurous. He would put his life on the line just to get something as simple as bread and/or water. When the chariman would chase him, it would be a game to him. He never heard him once complain nor become upset about his life, let alone his parents. Seeing him like this was a surprise for him, but Jojo had to remember something; Brandon was young. And when you're young, you can get scared easily.

"Brandon," He said as he lifted his face. "It's okay, I'm not mad."

"B-But...! Mari is going to die because of me!"

Jojo stared at him for a brief moment.

"No Brandon," He shook his head. "Mari is _almost_ going to die because of _us_."

* * *

What's this? Jojo has another plan? Yay!  
But will it work, or will it fail once more?  
And will Mari say good-bye to her life and more importantly to the new friends she just made?  
I know, but do you? ;D  
One question before this ends;  
**Are there any Brandon fangirls?** Or at least fans?  
Just wondering, since I'm thinking of making a one-shot prelude to this story that goes more in dept with his life.  
Please leave your thoughts/opinons/comments/questions/answers anything like that in your review!  
Thank you once more for the 102+ reviews, and see you next time! ;)


	23. Chapter 22

Oh my gosh, I'm SO SO SO SORRY for such a late update!  
I would've finished this chapter yesterday, but my laptop blacked out and I forgot to save. X(  
Not only that, but I had to do my science project, my language arts project, and set things up for a bbq my parents threw for me on my birthday. (My birthday was May 1st, if anyone's wondering)  
But now, this chapter's finished! *sighs in relief*  
Ok, so chapter twenty-two;  
We are back to where we started waaaaay back in chapter 1!  
It's time for the execution!  
Will Mari live? Or will she have to die due to history?  
And what will Jojo and Brandon do about this?  
Read to find out! :D :3  
But before we start, I reply to my anonymous reviewers! :D :3

**Geass Qween**; Haha, fun fact; on my project my partner wasn't going to help me and I felt annoyed with the fact that she was going to take half of the credit of the work I was gonna do. Eventually, I talked to my teacher and he let me work by myself. I got a C on the project, but at least it's all _my points._ And yes, Vonfrood had the hoot to say _his city_. You'll find out how a couple of people will react to it in this chapter!

**Alyssa**; LoL, hairy bugs? I never thought of describing them like that. XD One of your "two things" will be answered in this chapter, so I hope you look forward to it!

**Animeniac**; Eh... I'm a bit worried about making them violent, but somehow I found it suiting for them. But yeah, I can't stand Vonfrood either.

**Anime Fan Star**; Oh, ok. Don't worry about not reviewing, it's my fault for having such late updates... I'm glad you reviewed eventually though! Actually... that's a pretty good idea! I think I will do that on deviantart! Thank you for that idea! And I'll try to make the story about Brandon soon!Oh! And next chapter is the chapter that I got inspired to write from your review in chapter 10! I really hope you look forward to it!

**skatergirl**: Um... all I gotta say is... here's the chapter you've been waiting for! Oh! And have you updated your Jojo story? I'm desperae to know what happens next!

Read and review please!  
**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN HHAW! **

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**Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story**

Chapter Twenty-Two

Mari stared down at the terrified citizens below her. She could see them muttering and whispering to each other, more than likely on the topic about her. She felt an ache in her chest, her hopes of being in a world where no one could judge her gone. Perhaps there wasn't such thing of a world like that. Wherever she went, she would always be the freak of nature. And alas, she would be too different to even walk the surface of this world.

Vonfrood shoved her to the floor, forcing her to kneel on the pavement. She looked at the shiny ax the cloaked Who carried. She stared at her reflection, thinking about her life only seconds away from ending. But she knew there were two advantages of this.

One; Brandon and Jojo won't die because of her and Two; She could finally stop feeling the pain of everyone who sees her misjudging her and makin her feel bad. Who would want her to be alive anyway?

What about Jojo and Brandon? A voice slipped in her mind. Brandon helped you be with Jojo, so you two could finally meet someone who understands each other. And isn't he the reason you want to make friends?

"Citizens of Whoville!" Chairman Vonfrood declared. "I present to you... a human!"

A wave of gasps flooded Town Square. Sure they've seen pictures in Whostory books, but never did they imagined a human to look like Mari.

"Fear not!" He continued. "For this human will no longer live and terrorize our city!"

The citizens' gossips continued.

For some reason, Mari had an urge to cry. Did she really want to live? Did she want to cry in fear? Cry because of the town's reaction? No... it was much more than that.

The cloaked Who raised the ax and Mari shut her eyes. She shed a tear, waiting for her head to be detached from her body.

_Goodbye Jojo and Brandon._ She thought.

The cloaked Who aimed for the back of the neck, waited to gather all his might into his grip and right when he swung the ax down...

"STOP!"

Mari felt the cold blade touch the back of her neck and immediately tensed. For some reason, she didn't feel blood pour out nor felt the bone of her neck snap.

The councilmen and the executor turned to see a young Who pant heavily, his hands was on his knees. He looked up finally.

"You... can't... kill... her..."

Mari recognized that voice. "Brandon?"

She turned to see Jojo panting as the mayor came.

"Vonfrood, this is an outrage! What are you doing trying to kill Mari?" He asked him.

"This human is terrorizing the town! We must stop it from doing anymore damage!"

It. There he went again calling Mari _it_ as an insult.

"You can't kill her! Let alone, a child!"

"My city will not have a filthy human running around and killing everything it sees."

And he said _his city _again_._

"It's not your city, it's my dad's!" Jojo said. "And what do you mean she'll terrorize the city? Mari hasn't done anthing except help people!"

Mari thought twice on that last part of Jojo's sentence. She didn't help people, did she?

"Oh?" Vonfrood got close to him. "Then prove it!"

"She offered to help me wash the dishes!" A voice cried in the crowd.

Everyone turned to see Sally looking boldly at Vonfrood, carrying Hedy in her arms.

"Mawi help me be no more scawed of dawk!" Hedy said.

"She told us a story which helped us get to bed!" One of Jojo's sister added.

"She saved my life!"

That voice made everyone gasp from who it came from. Helen was now in a wheel chair, due to the damage in her legs.

"Because of Mari, I only lost my legs instead of my life."

"Helen..." Jojo looked at his sister, feeling pitiful for her.

"Enough! This doesn't excuse the citizen she terrorized earlier. She might do the same to all of us until we extinct!"

Everyone gasped.

"That never happened! She just saw him and they both screamed before she ran away!" Brandon protested.

Everyone gasped.

"Vonfrood, I am tired of your wickedness!" Ned anounced. "You're a... a... a Grinch! That's what you are! A nasty, selfish, mean Grinch!"

Everyone gasped.

"Ok, you can stop gasping." Ned told the crowd.

The crazy punk dude gasped, which made everyone stare at him. He looked around. "Oh, sorry; my bad!"

Vonfrood was baffled by Ned's word. "A _what, _Mr. McDodd?"

"A... A Grinch... ?" Jojo's dad squeaked, lowering his body.

"You heard him; a Grinch!" Jojo stood up for his dad.

The citizens murmured at each other. Never did they imagined their mayor saying such strong words. And to the chairman of all people! As this continued, Mari stared at her knees. She never realized how much the McDodds and Brandon cared about her, to the point they tried to save her life.

Was this what it was like to help a friend?

_Am I even a friend to them? _She wondered to herself.

"Don't kill the human!" A green and light green stripped Who cried out.

"Yeah, give her a chance!" A Who joined.

"Maybe she's not at all terrorizing!" Another added.

"Whatever happened to 'No matter how different a Who may appear, we welcome him with holiday cheer'?"

People agreed with that line and demanded Vonfrod for an explanation.

"Well the human isn't a Who, is it now?" He said calmly.

"She may not look like one, but..." Jojo looked at the overwhelmed Mari. "...she has the heart of one."

Mari softly gasped, her heart pounding faster than usual. She bit her lip to prevent tears from flooding her eyes. Vonfrood's mouth hung open, unable to come up with a "counter attack". The crowd agreed with this line. In fact, the executioner dropped the ax and uncuffed Mari. The girl rubbed her somewhat sore wrists before giving Jojo a smile.

"Thank you..." She said softly.

He smiled back.

The population cheered at her release. The chairman's blood boiled, growling at his defeat. He then remembered something; if you want something done right, you had to do it yourself. He quickly reached for the ax and held it over the oblivious eleven year old. The crowd stopped cheering and wanted to gasp, but they remembered what the mayor said. The held their breath, but Helen was the one to speak.

"Mari, behind you!"

She turned and gasped at the weapon above her and Vonfrood's head. The tyrant swung the ax down.

"NOOO!"

The crowd covered their mouth, speechless at what the chairman had just done. The green Who shook and stepped back from his mess. His saucer plate sized-eyes stared at the crouching victim. It wasn't Mari who he hit...

...it was Brandon.

Brandon now grit his teeth in pain and stared back at the human he pushed away in time.

"That... was really close..."

His eyelids fell over his eyes and he fell on his right shoulder, the ax sunken into his left shoulder.

"Brandon!" Mari cried to him, and went to his side.

Jojo fell to his knees by his cousin and glared at Vonfrood.

"You hit him!" Hot tears filled his eyes.

"I-It's his own fault! He got in the way!" He insisted.

"You monster!" The citizens began to yell at him.

"We should've never voted for you!"

Two officers came and tackled the chairman.

"How dare you? Release me!" He demanded as they cuffed him.

"Take him away!" Ned told them, regaining his courage.

As they dragged him away, the concerned mayor looked back at his nephew. Silence filled the town as they tried to see what Jojo and Mari were doing with Brandon.

"Brandon," the girl croaked. "why? Why did you put your life over mines?"

The black and brown stripped Who lazily opened his eyes. "Because... that's what friends do for each other..."

Mari lost her strength to hold back tears. She bit her lip, trying to silence her whimpering. Finally, she let out a wail, her fists to her eyes. Everyone flinched at her action. They never heard such a cry before, since most of the time everyone was happy. Jojo, using his brotherly instincts, stroked Mari's back.

"Come on Mari, don't cry." He said softly.

She couldn't stop though. She was crying not because of Brandon's sacrifice, but because of the feeling of having real friends who actually liked her.

Maybe there was such thing as a perfect world after all.

* * *

GOD, over 1,500 words for this chapter! I am proud! ^-^  
Well then, OH NO! BRANDON GOT HIT! Will he survive next chapter? (Fangirls, please don't come after me!)  
People be honest, in that scene with the gasping crowd did you find it funny? I wasn't sure if it was necessary to put or not, that's why.  
What to expect next chapter; a bit of an aftermath of what happened in this chapter at the McDodd's house. It MIGHT be short, I'm not sure.  
That's it for me!  
Thank you once more for the 113+ reviews, and see you next time! ;)


	24. Chapter 23

I'M OUT OF SCHOOL, BABY! You know what that means?  
MORE TIME FOR UPDATES! :D :3  
Well, sorta. My mom's limiting my computer time to one hour a day so I could reach my weight by the end of summer.  
I am **5 POUNDS** close to being healthy people! I'm literally on the line of being healthy and overweight! I just need to lose 5 pounds, but to be safe I wanna lose 10 by the end of summer! :D :3  
*ahem* Sorry about that! ^-^ Now about this and last chapter;  
I wasn't expecting so many Brandon fangirls to cry for his hit, but I'm happy people care about him.  
OK, so Mari is safe from dying, but what about Brandon?  
Will he live? Or was that chapter his last appearance?  
Read and Review to find out!  
Of course, I want to take this moment to reply to my anonymous reviewers! :D :3

**Geass Qween**; Heh, I'm glad you liked it! ^-^ And I'll be sure to let you and everyone else know when I put pictures of this story on deviantart!

**Alyssa**; Yeah, I decided it was time Ned stood up to that Grinch. Glad you liked the chapter! ^-^

**Animeniac**; Thank you for the late birthday wish! ^-^ I never really thought somebody would pay attention to the genres of the story... guess I was wrong! I don't think "Adventure" is the right genre though... :/

**Anime Fan Star**; Yeah, I got into my "Writer's Zone" in chapter 22, that's why it's so good. Hahaha, now I'm seeing how many Brandon fangirls are out there. XD I'm glad you thought the crowd scene was hilarious. :D :3 And it's O.K. if you like the punk better; he's funny too. :P And now the moment you've been waiting for; the chapter inspired by your review! (This is your cue to start reading!)

**skatergirl1**: You're in luck; there's about 2 JojoxMari moments but the next chapter will focus about them! ;)

Read and review please!  
**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN HHAW! **

* * *

**Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story**

Chapter Twenty-Three

After the whole execution drama, things started to calm down a bit. Of course, everybody was worried for Brandon so the McDodds immediatley rushed him to their house. From there, Ned called Doctor LaRue and she began her "operation" with Brandon in Jojo's room. The entire family waitied outside in the hall in the meanwhile. Some of the girls were whimpering about the situation; others were asking their parents if Brandon would be all right. Though they wished they could calm their children down, Ned and Sally could only say "I don't know". Jojo and Mari sat next to each other, Mari holding her knees to her chest.

"This is all my fault..." She stared at the detail of the carpet. "if I never got caught, those guys would've never find me and Brandon wouldn't have to sacrifice himself just for me."

Jojo watched her pull her knees closer to her. "What if he dies because of me? What if he has to walk around with an ax stuck to him for the rest of his life? What if he has to get his arm cut off for a fake one? What if-?"

"Stop." Jojo said, gently holding his hands to her ears and moved her face to look at him.

"You're overreacting; Brandon is much stronger than that. There had been times where he would make life risking jumps and stunts, but he would always make it in the end. He'll pull through this, trust me. And stop blaming yourself! Remember, I was the one who made you run out in public."

She gave him a smile and hugged him. Jojo flinched back at her sudden reaction, now dumbfounded.

"Thank you..." She whispered, tears once again streaming down her face.

He hesitated, but eventually Jojo hugged her back. He eyed a couple of his sisters who made kissy faces and said "Oooh~" at how he and Mari looked. He rolled his eyes, trying to ignore their childness.

After another excruciating twenty minutes of waiting, Doctor LaRue came out. Everyone jumped up from the floor.

"Well?" Ned asked.

She looked at him. "He'sh healing. The ax didn't go into his arm ash deep ash I thought it would."

The McDodds felt a huge amount of weight lifted off their shoulders.

Jojo looked at Mari. "See? I told you he would be fine."

Brandon walked out with a gauze bandage wrapped around his shoulder and a little bit of his chest and arm. Everyone crowded around him, asking numerous questions.

"It's nothing; I'm okay, really." He insisted.

He looked at Dr. LaRue. "Thank you, again."

He began to walk past everyone and headed towards the front door.

"Brandon, where are you going?" Ned asked him.

"Back home, why?" He asked, his hand on the door knob.

"You have to stay here, Brandon!" Sally insisted. "You shouldn't force yourself to work espescially now that you're wounded!"

"Aunt Sally, I don't want to over-stay my welcome, let alone, be another mouth to feed."

"Brandon, don't be ridiculous!" Ned put an hand on his nephew's good shoulder. "You're part of the family, it's the least we could do."

He smiled a soft smile. "Thanks Uncle Ned."

* * *

After Dr. LaRue left, Sally cooked dinner for the family. Brandon even helped, despite how much his aunt told him to rest. He even carried Helen to her chair when it was time to eat! The meal was roast beast with Who Hash and juice. Once everyone sat together, Mari held onto the sides of her seat.

Brandon looked at her. "What's wrong? You don't like roast beast?"

"I can't eat in a moving chair!" She replied, hoping she wouldn't fall off.

Jojo and Brandon exchanged glances and Brandon began to take pieces of the meal onto a plate Jojo held on his lap. They told Mari to follow them into the living room where they sat on the couch. Jojo gave her the plate.

"Wow, thanks." She said before sitting down.

Mari was more than happy to have food in her stomach once again. It's been about two days since she ate. The boys smiled at how she finished her meal quickly.

A couple of minutes passed and soon Jojo's sisters sat around Mari with smiles on their faces. When Brandon asked what they were so happy about, they said they wanted to hear another story from Mari. Mari didn't know what other story to tell since Sleeping Beauty was the most recent she remembered. She wanted to tell them the full story, but she was afraid she would scare the girls with Maleficent. But she figured they would be okay since it was only a story and after nearly losing their cousin, they could take on a witch character.

* * *

"Prince Phillip stared at the now ginourmous black and purple dragon Maleficent turned into. She was big and dark and glared at Phillip and his horse with mean yellow eyes. But still, Phillip remembered his destiny and tried to charge for Maleficent. Merryweather wanted to help too, but Flora wouldn't let her. Right when Phillip sticked out his sword at the dragon, she let out a huge wave of green fire at him!" Mari tried to reanact the fire by lifting her arms in the air.

As cheesy as it would be on earth, it actually did the trick here in Whoville. The girls were whimpering, huddled close to each other and their parents as Brandon and Jojo stared in awe of the storyteller.

"Luckily, Phillip bocked himself with the sheild. But the fire was too strong, he fell off his horse!"

The girls gasped, along with their parents.

"Phillip got up and jumped away from the fire Maleficent let out. The bridge was now burned, and Maleficent shot more fire! Phillip blocked it, and backed up before she could bite him! Some of the fire spread to the prickly trees she set. Phillip hit her nose with his sword and swung it as she tried to bite him. She let out fire into the trees, trying to kill Phillip."

"Don't die Phillip!" One of Jojo's sisters exclaimed.

"Yeah, who's going to save Princess Aurora?" Another said.

"Girls, let Mari continue." Sally told them.

"The fire surrounded Phillip, making him have no way of escaping.

'Up! Up this way!' Flora told him by waving her wand by the cliff.

He climbed up, not noticing Maleficent following him. Once he did see her at the top of the cliff, he swung his sword at her."

Mari swung an imaginary sword she pretended she had in her hand.

"She got closer to him, trying to make him fall off the cliff. He was so into trying to defeat her though, he didn't pay attention to where he was walking. But he did once Maleficent tried to bit his legs. He balanced himself on the edge, the Good Fairies holding their breath."

"Live Phillip, live!" Ned exclaimed, making everyone stare at him. He stared back at them.

"What? It's a good story!"

Mari tried her best not to giggle but continued. "Maleficent shot fire at him, his Shield of Virtue gone!"

Everyone gasped.

"Maleficent laughed, thinking she was going to win. But she was wrong! The Good Fairies put their magic on Phillip's Sword of Truth. Flora said the spell,

'Thou Sword of Truth fly swift and sure,  
That evil dies good endure!'

Phillip threw the sword at Maleficent's heart, making her scream. She bled and began to fall forward. She tried to bite Phillip, but he jumped out of the way as she fell over the cliff. The fire died, along with Maleficent. And how did Pillip know?"

"How?" A couple of girls asked.

"He saw the Sword of Truth in a dark puddle where Maleficent fell. Phillip's horse and the Good Fairies came to him, proud of his victory. But his destiny wasn't over yet. The thorn trees went away and Phillip was able to get to Princess Aurora. He walked past the sleeping villagers and made his way to the top of the tower, just as the sun was coming. He found Aurora, sleeping in the same position the Good Fairies left her earlier. He kneeled down to her, closed his eyes, moved his lips close, and..."

Everyone leaned in, frantically waitng for Mari to continue. How could she leave them desperate as she drawled the word "and"?

"...He kissed her on the lips!"

The girls squeeled.

"Soon, the spell was lifted and Princess Aurora woke up, happy to see Phillip. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather were happy too. The spell in the kingdom was lifted and everyone woke up. When Phillip's dad and Aurora's dad woke up, they heard horns being blown. Coming downstairs that led to the tower was Phillip and Aurora. Everyone was happy to see the princess after 16 years. Aurora hugged her parents and new father in law.

"As the music played, Aurora and Phillip danced to the song they sang to each other in the forest. The Good Fairies saw and Fauna cried about the happy ending. Flora was about to tell her everything was alright, but she noticed Aurora's dress was blue."

"Uh-oh." Brandon said.

"Flora changed it to pink, and Merryweather got mad.

'Blue!' She said.

And throughout the entire dance, the two were fighting over what color the dress should be. But, the kingdom was happy, Maleficent was gone, and Aurora and Phillip were together again. And they lived happily ever after. The End!"

"YaY!" The girls cheered and clapped along with their parents and Jojo and Brandon.

"O.K. girls, time to go to bed!" Sally told her daughters.

"AAAaaaAawWWwww!" They chorused before getting up.

"Thank you Mari!" They said to her.

She slightly laughed. "You're welcome!"

Brandon saw Helen and looked back at Jojo.

"I'm gonna go help Helen. Give my compliments to the storyteller!" He winked at him before leaving.

Jojo got up and walked to a dehydrated Mari. "You O.K.?"

"Ugh, yeah. Just tired from talking so much."

Jojo flipped his hair back, motioning her to follow her in the kitchen. He went towards the sink and poured water in a glass cup.

"I'll admit; I liked this version of the story better than the other." He said before giving her the glass.

"I think everyone did." She said before gulping the water down.

He glanced at the clock before looking at Mari. "Well... goodnight."

She smiled. "Goodnight."

He started walking away, leaving Mari alone. She stared at her now half full glass and sighed. She wondered what it would be like leaving this wonderous place and going back to her boring and cruel world.

No one would care for her stories anymore.

No one would actually want to get to know her before judging her by her appearance.

No one would want to be her friend...

_No!_ She shut her eyes. _Don't think about that! Who says you can't stay here a little longer? Besides, it's not like anyone will miss you back home, right?_

* * *

We are one chapter closer to the ending! ^0^  
O.K. fangirls, Brandon's alive! No need to be frantic anymore!  
**Anime Fan Star**, I hoped you liked this chapter! It was inspired by your review after all!  
So next chapter, Mari gets a little surprise. What will it be?  
You gotta wait next chapter to find out!  
OH! And apparantly, I am going to do a prequel one shot on Brandon after this story's done!  
This story should be over in about two more chapters! So I hope people are excited for that!  
And I might put pictures and scenes of this story on deviantart once I learn how to draw Whos! ^-^  
Thank you for the 123+ reviews!  
I'll see you next time! ;D :3


	25. Chapter 24

Sorry for the wait!  
This would've been updated sooner if it weren't for me going on a cruise, preparing stuff before I went to school, and getting a crud worth of school work that limited my time on the computer.  
Where did we left off? ...Oh right!  
In this chapter, Mari gets a small surprise.  
What will it be?  
Read and Review to find out!  
Of course, I want to take this moment to reply to my anonymous reviewers! :D :3

**Geass Qween**; Glad you thought the last chapter was sweet! And yeah, I've been also thinking what it'd be like for someone to ask me to borrow Brandon in a story of their own. I can't wait to see if your guess of what the surprise will be was right!

**Alyssa**; Mmm... well, when I wrote this I figured that Dr. Larue would know how the Who's body works since she's into science. Hehe, I'm glad you thought Jojo & Mari moment was cute. There's small hints in this chapter, if you're wondering. As for the certainty there's nothing between them... mm... I'll let you and other readers decide that.

**Animeniac**; *gasp* Are you serious? :D Yay! I'm honored to help a reviewer make an account! O.K., first things first; no, there is no cost to making a FanFiction account. All you need is an email. If you don't know how to make one, I'll be more than happy to help you make one. When you make an email, you come to FanFiction, and click the button on the upper right hand corner that says "Sign Up". There will be instructions on how to finish making your account. Thanks that you lked the last chapter! ^-^

**Anime Fan Star**; Heh, I should be thanking you for the idea. I'm glad you didn't think it was like "Oh, she tells the whole story; I thought it was going to be something epic. What a let down." As for my goal... I think I lost 3 pounds, hard to say because I haven't check my weight lately. But thanks for the luck!

Read and review please!  
**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN HHAW! **

* * *

**Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story**

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Mari... Mari! Mari, wake up!" The human heard a familiar whisper.

She fluttered her heavy eyes open to see Jojo.

"Is it time to get up?" To her, it still looked dark.

"Follow me." He flipped his hair towards the door.

"Do I have to...?" She complained. She was so tired and comfortable on the couch.

He nodded his head.

Mari lowly grunted and sat up, rubbing the sleepiness off her eyes. Jojo took out a brush and handed it to her. She stared at it and then him.

"Won't your sister hate me for using her brush?"

"It's O.K." He insisted.

Hesitately, Mari took it and began to detangle her hair. After about a minute, she set the brush down and looked at the Who.

"C'mon." He walked towards the door.

Mari followed and they went outside.

* * *

The night was cool and dark; the moon shining brightly and the sound of (maybe) crickets chirping. She grew slghtly intimidated by the shadows of "inhuman" objects around such as the tall grass, the strangely shaped trees, and the houses. She almost shrieked when she saw her own shadow, but was able to stop herself in time. Instead, she bumped into Jojo who raised a brow at her.

"S...Sorry." She gave him back his space.

He only looked straight as he walked and stopped when they reached to a small set of stairs. Mari observed it and realized this was the way to the observatory. Jojo kicked a pebble up in the air and caught it with his right hand. He leaped into the pail and looked at Mari.

"W-Wait, do I get in with you?"

He nodded his head.

She saw the small room left for her and used her eyes to follow the thin wire the bucket was supported by.

"N-No." She shook her head, taking a step back. "I'm too fat; I'll break the line."

Jojo exasperated through his nose and held her wrist.

"No! Jojo-!"

He pulled her into the transportation device as he stood on the rim. Mari began to tremble and covered her eyes. Any moment now, the wire will snap and it'll be her fault.

_I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going_ _to DIE!_

She gasped when she felt something move her hand. Her eyes stared at a pair of caramel irises. She looked around and realized they were already on the otherside. Jojo was motioning her with his eyebrows to get out. She sheepishly swallowed her fear and stepped on the cliff. They walked about five paces and Mari glanced at the sling shot. She sighed.

"Not again..." She muttered, facepalming herself.

Jojo at first wondered what she was talking about, but figured she didn't like how the slingshot felt when it launched. He had a slight urge to ride with her, but he didn't want to make her embarrassed. Instead, he went first and waited for her to come up. In about thirty seconds, she came up. He was about to take her wrist so that he could pull her away from the edge, but he couldn't. Mari immediately sprinted past him and hugged the floor.

"I never want to be seperated from you again, ground!" She said to it.

Just when Jojo was about to roll his eyes, he remembered what he wanted to tell Mari.

"Can I tell you something?"

Still hugging the floor, she looked at him.

"About the story you told us, I... had a dream about it."

"Really?" The human stood up.

He nodded his head. "I dreamt... about the forest where Aurora and Phillip met. I heard the song and... saw a girl, only she didn't look like Aurora."

"How did she look?"

"I'm not sure," He shrugged, staring at his feet. "I just glanced her from a distance and it looked like her back was turned to me. It's strange though, because... I dreamt it before you came and told us the story. I think it..."

Mari tilted her head in pure curiosity.

Seeing this, Jojo sighed and shook his head. "Nevermind, it's stupid."

"No! It's O.K.! I think I know what you mean!" Mari assured. "Usually it's a sign you're going to meet that person! I have dreams like that too!"

He stared at her quizically before sharing a small smile.

"I guess so."

She smiled back and he walked towards the observatory. He pushed the hidden door and entered, Mari following. She watched him turn the power switch on for the lights and then climbed up a set of stairs. The Who looked around, wondering what to show her first. He smirked a small smirk before spinning a contraption that made a few glass bottles clink. He let go, letting the remaining force control the bottles.

"Happy." Jojo heard Mari say and looked down at her.

"That's happy, right? You said your music had... emotional tones?"

He remembered what he told her when they were hiding from the Councilmen. He nodded his head. Suddenly, he wanted to test her ears and feelings a bit. The Who swiftly pranced onto a giant rubberband ball and rolled it down on a colossal drum. Jojo bounced back up to roll down more rubber band balls.

"...Angry?" Mari asked.

He slightly smiled at her answer and climbed up on a platform to jump on- what looked like to Mari- tubes to brass horns. The sound waves vibrated to the girl's ears.

"Um, uh... excitement?"

Jojo nodded his head. He couldn't believe it; she was understanding his music! He was too thrilled to stop exposing his life-long creation and so continued. He pulled the strings of the numerous bells that took a great amount of time to collect. Mari had to turn to follow him with her eyes.

"Magical." She pointed.

He smirked, and pulled a rope that released a swarm of silver balls to race down a metal ladder. He landed safely on the ladder and slid down the rail.

"Unstoppable." It sounded like a whisper, yet the mayor's son heard her.

He didn't realize he was smiling at her as he nodded his head. He was awe-struck. The only people who ever saw his creation was his dad and Brandon. Jojo would see if anyone could understand the emotional tones in his music. His dad couldn't guess because Whovile was about to be boiled when he first saw it, and when he showed Brandon, he only understood half of the items he made.

But Mari... Mari was comprehending everything. From the kites, to the bells, she saw through the messages each instrument was trying to deliver. What each sound was supposed to remind you of. She was the only one to get it. A human, not a Who, but a _human_ understood him. And he didn't have any problem with that.

Nearly done with activating everything, Jojo set off violins that played slow and pitch notes. This tone was all too familiar to Mari.

"Lonely..."

Suddenly her smile disappeared and she stared at her white tennis shoes. Everything around her faded and all she heard were the string instuments. Her life back home flashed to her memory. The pestering of her peers, the put-downs her parents yelled at her, it soaked back into her mind and she could hear the violins in the background.

_That's going to be me..._ She thought. _I'll never fit in. Not here, or back home. Nothing is going to change._

Feeling a hot and wet substance stream down her face, she sprinted out the observatory. The black and gray stripped Who turned to slightly frown when he saw her leave.

_Where is she going?_

He swiftly slid down the ladder with the silver balls and leaped onto the ground near the entrance. He sped walked outside to see the human on her knees and her face buried in her hands. Feeling guilt overwhelm him, he sincerely tapped her shoulder.

"Mari?" He slightly stammered.

She inaudibly gasped and faced him. Jojo could see in the moonlight her eyes red and soaked.

"W-What's wrong?" He knelt to her current height.

She sniffed and sobbed, "I don't belong here!"

* * *

I know, bad way to end this chapter, but I promise things will be sweeter next chapter.  
Speaking of "next chapter", I want to ask everybody to click the "Review this chapter" button, because I want to see/read everyone's reaction as what I'm about to say. Ready? Here it goes...  
Next chapter, will be, **THE _LAST_ CHAPTER**! (This is where you to type your immediate reaction!)  
Yes, it's true. I'm sorry, but every story must end. But to cheer everyone up, I am going to post my drawings of Mari, Jojo, and Brandon on Devianart! ^-^ I will send a link to my Devianart on my profile soon so people could see them. So, check my profile in about 1 to 3 weeks, maybe less, to see the link to my drawings! They're not the best drawings, but... people want to know how I draw, so, yeah...  
Um... I would give you a hint how the last chapter will end, but... I don't want to spoil anything. My only hint; be prepared for those two three-letter words you usually see at the conclusions of stories.  
As for the Brandon fic, well, I want the fans to vote on something. I have two ideas to write about Brandon but I want to see what you guys want to read. To vote, go to my profile and take the poll. It's open to everyone!  
Thank you for the 134+ reviews! I'll try to update sooner, and will anounnce thanks to people as well as show mini awards I've gotten from this story. PLEASE review people! I want to hear people's opinions and thoughts of my story! It might help me write a sequel to this!  
I'll see you next time! ;D :3


	26. Chapter 25

SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY FOR THE EXTREMELY LATE UPDATE!  
So many things got in the way and then my computer crashed a couple of times.  
I promise you guys the wait was worth it!  
This is the longest chapter ever in the story! I hope you enjoy it!  
To those who are sensitive and/or easily moved, BE WARNED! Grab a tissue or two before you read! It's going to get emotional in here!  
The last chapter! Is this the end of Mari and Jojo's friendship?  
Read and Review to find out!  
And, let this be my last time to reply to my anonymous reviewers before this story ends; I'll MISS ANSWERING YOU GUYZ!

**Geass Qween**; Thank you for reviewing this story to the end! Sorry I made you sad! Thanks for telling me to keep writing; I'll try to improve my skill. Oh boy, if you were looking forawrd for Jojo and Mari to be, well, Jojo&Mari, then you're going to be sooo mad at me after you read this. *nervous smile*

**Alyssa**; I'm glad you're proud to read this as your first fic. ^^ Thanks for reviewing all the way and being up to date to this, even though I take FOREVER to update! I'm glad you look forward to the Brandon fic and... what did you think of my designs on deviantart?

**Animeniac**; Thanks for reviewing my story all the way! What did you think of my designs on deviantart? I'd be honored and accept your invitation to read your fic once you publish it! I'll support you all the way! I'm glad you love my work. (And yes; a Profile is when you click on the author's name)

**Anime Fan Star**; Oh, I feel so bad I made you kick the desk! Well, thank you for reviewing this story to the end! Yay, you liked the chapter I made because of your review! ^^ And... you know what? You're right; out of all the 28 stories I wrote, this story is definetely the best I ever wrote. I can't write anything close to good as this! X( Oh well, gotta try harder. And yeah, I went on a cruise; if you're curious how it was, it was good;  
I didn't get seasick, (actually I can't, I love the ocean) and at first it was hard to stand when the ship kept moving, but eventually I got my sea legs. In fact, when I went back home, I felt like the house was moving as if it was on water. XD Food was good, the people were nice, and the sights were cool.

**Cass**; Don't feel that way; I always read and treasure every anonymous review I get! Heh, thank you for your sympathy about my past. I'm glad you love my story, and I hope you like this chapter. ^^

**anon**; I'm glad you think of my story that way; here's the last chapter!

Read and review please!  
**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN HHAW! **

* * *

**Friendship: An Unlikely Love Story**

Chapter Twenty-Five

Jojo could only stare at the human, his mouth slightly open in a frown. Was his hearing decieving him? Did she say what he thought she just said?

"W...What?" He took a step closer to listen better. "What do you mean you don't belong here?"

Mari sniffed and focused on the ground. She was holding her arms close and she was careful to balance in her squat position.

"I... I just don't belong here!"

She didn't know why she began to tremble. She assumed it was because she was embarassed to cry in front of a guy.

"I... I'm too different! Whatever I do to try to be like a normal Who, it won't change me into one! I'll always be human! Whos belong here in Whoville... a-and humans belong on Earth. That's how it should be..."

She tried to dry her face with her left arm. Jojo remembered something when he was at Brandon's house...

_"You really did it this time." Brandon began._

_Jojo gave him a confused look._

_"Hurting Mari's feelings like everyone else in her world." Brandon continued. "Look; I know she spilled your secret, but she did it to talk for you, not to make you feel bad."_

_He... was... right... Why did he have to always be right when it came to problems like these? Jojo opened his mouth to speak, but Brandon interrupted him._

_"If you're looking for her, she's not here."_

_What? Jojo thought._

_"She left a couple of minutes ago to apologize to you. And..."_

_The younger cousin looked down before continuing._

_"...She wants to go home."_

"Mari, if you're leaving because of what I did after you told my dad I didn't want to be mayor, I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. But, that doesn't mean I don't want you to stay." He told her.

She stared at him for a brief moment. She was confused at what he was talking about for a moment, but soon she figured it out.

"Jojo..." She wanted to kick herself because she was about to cry again. "...you're the first person to ever say sorry to me for doing something to me... Thank you..."

Jojo wasn't sure if he was supposed to feel good about being the first person Mari met that gave her condolences, or feel bad because he probably did hurt her without even knowing it until now.

"And... thanks for telling me you don't want me to leave. It's funny, cause when I first met you, I thought you would be one of the first people here who would want me to leave. But seeing how you tried to help me and apologized to me... it feels like you really don't hate me. Anyways, I still can't stay here; I don't want to risk anyone else in your family to get hurt because of me."

The black and gray stripped Who, for some reason, felt an urge to persuade her to stay. Was it because he would miss her stories? His family would miss her stories? Because she helped his dad realize he didn't want to be the next mayor of Whoville? Because she's the reason his sister Helen didn't lose her life? Or was it because she taught him to not always judge a Who by his fur?

Come to think of it, when he added those questions... he would miss _Mari_ in general. Because it all proved she was like his first friend.

"Besides," Mari snapped him out of his reverie. "Can you imagine how my parents are right now? I haven't been home in two days! Sure they yell at me every now and then, but... it's their job, right? And... they still love me, right? If they didn't, they would've given me away, right?"

With those words, Jojo knew he couldn't convince her to stay. It wouldn't be fair for him to be selfish and keep Mari here when her parents might be worried sick trying to find her.

She turned to him.

"I know I'll never meet someone like you and Brandon, but... I gotta try to find someone who will be my friend. It's like what Brandon said; in a crowd of a hundred, I'll more than likely find a friend."

The eldest McDodd slowly curved the corners of his lips and nodded his head. Mari could only smile in return before standing up. She dried her face and took a big breath.

"Well... thanks for everything. I really hope I'll get to see you soon. I really liked meeting you and your family. Tell them I said 'bye' for me."

She nodded her head as if she just made a deal. The human spun on her heels and marched in the direction Jojo was facing. Before he would go back inside his observatory, something occured to the Who.

"Mari, do you even know how you're going to get back home?"

She froze herself from taking another step. Slowly she turned her head to him.

"Nnnnooo..." She meekly drawled, her cheeks warm.

The mayor's son rolled his eyes with a small smirk.

"Well, do you know how you got here in the first place?" He asked.

"Um... I remember I saw this glowing light on a plant and, I guess it was a portal because once I touched it, I landed here."

He nodded his head as a sign of understanding.

"O.K., so... maybe we got to find another portal that'll take you back home?" He suggested.

"...I guess." She shrugged.

Jojo skimed the premises for anything that matched Mari's description. His eye caught something.

"Is this it?"

She turned towards him and her eyes softly reflected the luminous glow on a pink clover Jojo was staring at. She smiled, part of her in shock.

"Yeah..."

She stood up along with Jojo and took a breath. She held out her hand.

"Well... goodbye!" She tried to smile like Ned.

The black and gray stripped Who glanced at her furless hand then stared at her. Hesitantly, he held it and slowly shook it up and down.

"_Awkward..."_ Mari thought in her head.

They finally let go, avoiding eye contact. She knelt to one knee, placed her finger on the clover, and then it got bright.

* * *

Jojo stared at the starry night sky; specifically at the one spot he saw Mari disappear. He didn't know how to explain it, but when he saw Mari touch the clover, the light consumed her so she was also glowing and she just traveled up.

Wow, would he sound like a nut if he ever tried to explain to his family how she left.

Thoughts began to flood his head as he paced to his observatory. His sisters would probably get mad at him and start bawling his eyes out that Mari left. After all, they seemed to like her. His parents would probably scold him for not letting them give her a proper goodbye. And Brandon would probably tell him off, thinking it's his fault she wanted to go home.

They'll eventually get over it... he hoped.

Jojo started to cease his instruments off. Guilt overpowered him and he just wasn't in the mood to listen to his music. After that, he climbed to the top of his observatory. With a deep sigh, he laid against the building and stared at the sky.

It seemed like it was only yesterday he was just sitting here before Mari fell on him. A part of him wished it would happen again right now.

He realized she was probably the only friend he would ever have, and he let her go. And all he did was just shook hands with her! What kind of friend does that? Why couldn't he hug her or at least say "I'll miss you"?

Jojo scolded himself, rubbing his eyes.

He was always a horrible friend to her from the start, no matter she wanted to leave.

Oh well, the next time she comes, he'll give her a better goodbye than just a mere handshake. And how does he know she'll come back? Well... it was all thanks to that star he met her.

The Who stared up at the brightest star. The next time he feels lonely, he'll wish her back but not now; he was not about to get greedy with it or force Mari away from her family.

Suddenly, he felt an urge to sing about that star. Just as a way to say "Thank you for granting my wish". He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

(watch?v=GdVJ8suZcIg)

"_When you wish upon a star,_  
_Makes no difference who you are..._  
_Anything your hear desires, _  
_Will come... to... you..._

"_If your heart is in your dreams,_  
_No request is too extreme~_  
_When you wish upon a star,_  
_As dreamers do-o..._

"_Fate is kind~_  
_She brings to those who love,_  
_The sweet fullfillment of,_  
_Their secret lo-ng-ing..._

"_Woah, li-i-ike a bolt  
Out of the blue~  
Fate steps in and,  
Sees you through-ooh  
_

_"When you wish upon a star,  
Your dream comes true..._"

In his mind, Jojo imagined all the times and moments he was with Mari. The good ones at least. And how when she comes back, he promises to have better and more memorable moments with her.

He opened his eyes and smiled at the Wishing Star.

"_If your heart is in your dreams,_  
_No request is too extreme~_  
_When you wish upon a star,_  
_As drea-mers... do~_

_ah~ when you wish upon a star,  
Your dreams... come... true~_"

"Bye Mari." He whispered before returning home.

* * *

Mari slowly opened her eyes and looked around. Looking at the shade of night blanketing some plants, she knew she was home. A part of her forced her to find a plant that was glowing like the clover she saw in Whoville.

But no luck.

Hanging her head, she walked to a bench in her backyard and sat on it. Before she could cry, Mari spotted a small object float by her.

She watched a tiny speck flutter in front of her, the wind taunting her unability to stay there- in the small town called Whoville. She firmly pressed her lips together, tears flowing down her face. Then she heard the small yet sweet voice of music.

"_If your heart is in your dreams,_  
_No request is too extreme~_  
_When you wish upon a star,_  
_your dreams will come true..._"

Her fifth grade brain told her it was the voice of Jojo. It was so beautiful and majestic coming from someone, or in this case some_who_, quiet and mysterious like him. The song controlled herself to smile. Though she wasn't able to stay in Whoville with the McDodds and Brandon, she had to at least enjoy and see the positive outcome of visiting their world.

The McDodds enjoyed her stories; something that no one here would bother listening to if she asked for them to listen. Brandon was there to encourage her to speak up and try to befriend his cousin. Plus, he didn't judge her when he first laid eyes on her; and that was more than anything she could've asked for.

And then there's Jojo.

He did judge her, but he had the right to; she _did_ intrude his observatory twice and broke his bottles. Surely she would've been unwanted by him, but he apologized for kicking her out and for his assumption on what her personality is. And they talked a bit about a few similarities they had; she had never talked to anyone for more than forty-five seconds until they met. His creation was beyond anything she could've imagined. All the instruments she would never find on Earth and the ordinary items he built to invent his own music was...

...astounding.

It was all thanks to that Wishing Star she made her first friends and explored an extraordinary world. If it wasn't for the fact the councilmen were tracking her down and she didn't want her parents to worry about her, she probably could've been closer friends with Jojo. But she wouldn't let that bring her down.

(watch?v=op8mgKDaU3c&feature=player_detailpage#t=94s)

"_I don't know when..._"

She dried her eyes.

"_I don't know how..._"

She inhaled a confident breath as she sat up.

"_But I know something's starting right now..._"

The speck began to fly away from her toward the sky dotted with stars.

"_Watch and you'll see..._  
_Someday I'll be,_  
_Part of your... world~_"

Mari watched the world float up until it camouflaged with the rest of the stars. After a brief moment of recalling her time in Whoville, she could only smile and whisper "Goodbye" to the sky.

**THE END**

* * *

There, that's it! We're done! **No sequel until further notice!  
**Believe me, I want to make one, but... I DON'T HAVE ANY GOOD CLIMAXES OR PROBLEMS!  
So unless someone gives me an out-of-this-world idea, no sequel!  
So strangle me, yell at me, threaten me, kill me, whatever you feel like doing to me for this ending.  
I thank you guys so much for reviewing, favoriting, and subscribing to this story; I feel honored and deeply thankful I had many supporters.  
**Thank You So Much!**  
Thank you for the 150+ reviews! PLEASE review people! I want to hear people's final opinions and thoughts of my story!  
This has been a work of **lightfaith0606**, wishing you a cool summer!  
(STAY TUNED FOR THE BRANDON ONE-SHOT!)


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